Edmonton, please vote

We have a municipal election taking place and more people care about the problematic state the Oilers are in after four regular season games. Myself included.

Technically there are three elections going on right now. One for mayor, one for council, and finally one for school board trustee (public and Catholic). There are multiple sources to find the information you need to vote. If you’re wondering what ward you live in, check this out. Here is all the information you need to know about every candidate running.  There is no excuse to not vote and not to be informed. The only excuse you do have is laziness.

It’s perplexing that people think municipal government doesn’t apply to them. Pissed off at construction? That’s a municipal problem. Public transit slowing down everything? That’s a municipal problem. Hate that the neighbourhood park is being developed for infill homes? Municipal government is directly responsible for that. McDavid not playing like he should? Blame EA on that one. Despise Don’s charming demeanour? Um, that’s a personal problem and you should seek psychological help.

In all seriousness, please get out today and vote! Municipal government, out of any level of government, affects your day-to-day life the most. Voting in this election will be the best chance for your voice to be actually heard and acted upon in government. Iveson is guaranteed to win, not only because he has no real competition, but no one votes. Across the world, people are fighting and dying for this right. In Canada, most of us can’t be inconvenienced for the 20 minutes every couple of years. Its embarrassing.

It’s not hard to vote. You just need to have some ID with proof of address. Voting stations are usually at a community centre, school gym or church. You can find yours here. There’s no difficulty in getting to these places. The lineups are usually not that bad especially in municipal elections. Even if you can’t make it on the actual election day, there are multiple advance polling stations. There is no excuse, get your ass out and fucking vote!  

No matter what election goes on, I purposely go out of way to vote, and get everyone I know to vote. I echo something my high school math teacher said: “If you don’t vote, you can’t bitch.” We sure love to do that, so make sure you vote!