Omega Editorial #9 - Oct. 1, 2008

EXERCISING YOUR RIGHT NOT TO VOTE
I have some news that apparently many of you may find very shocking:
There’s a federal election coming soon.
OK. Calm down. There’s plenty of information in this week’s issue to get you prepared.
We’ve got an article about how to register to vote. We also have a couple of useful ads from Elections Canada.
So those of you who want to vote should be able to figure it out with the help of this issue.
But I’m not so worried about those of you who are planning to vote.
My problem is with the (seemingly large) percentage of you who are planning not to vote.
When Percy went around campus this week asking people about the important issues, he got a frighteningly large number of people telling him that they don’t pay attention to the election, or that they just don’t care about politics.
I can understand not caring much about politics. Believe me, for the better part of my life I pay very little attention to politics. But once every few years, I make sure to get informed so that I can help choose my country’s next leader.
It’s not hard to do. We’re inundated with information (of varying degrees of usefulness) around election time. All you have to do is turn on the T.V. (Or pick up The Omega.)
I figure if you’re willing to not vote, or to “exercise your right NOT to vote” as some people so self-righteously put it, you’re giving up your right to complain.
And I don’t just mean you’re giving up your right to complain about who the new prime minister is, or your right to complain about which party forms the new government.
I’m saying that when you choose not to vote, you give up your right to complain about basically anything that happens in Canada.
Tuition too high? Should’ve voted.
Gas prices sky-rocketing? Too bad.
Lost your job? Can’t find affordable housing? Sick of all this crazy weather? Gee, I wish I could help you.
The one constant with all these problems, and with basically everything that goes on in our lives, is that the government has some control over them in one way or another.
If you don’t vote, you’re essentially telling everyone that you don’t care what direction this country takes.
I don’t have a problem with that. Not caring is your right.
Just don’t come crying to the rest of us when you don’t like the way things turn out.
Make a difference: VOTE!