The interwebs of Ontario have been abuzz with articles informing you of your right to decline your vote during the upcoming provincial election. Facebook is full of it, people being amazed that they have this option and talking about how they're going to decline their vote.
I think that's a shitty thing to do. Maybe slightly better than not showing up to the polls at all, but still shitty.
There seems to be a popular opinion out there that declining your vote will change the system. We'll just get all these jerks out of power and pick somebody new, right? Wrong. Declining your vote means you're making a conscious decision not to vote. That's fine, but even if 99% of Ontarians declined their vote, the person and party with the most votes will still win. Yes, your declined votes get counted but that doesn't mean that if more people decline to vote than to actually vote, that we'll just be left with no leadership at all.
Declining your vote is just that, you are declining your right to vote. It is not a vote for "None of the Above" as some have read it to be, it's the same damn thing as not voting at all. If you don't vote, even fewer people will be ACTUALLY voting. That means an even smaller number of people will be choosing what kind of leadership we sit under.
So do me a favour, will ya? Take an hour an look at the platforms of all the parties and candidates in your riding. None of them will be perfect, no one is. But pick the one that suits you, your family and your hopes for our province the best. Then vote for them. They may not win, but at least you'll be making your vote count for something instead of just crossing your fingers and hoping that politicians hear your declined votes and change their ways. Picking any option is better than standing on a principle that has no legs.
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