On the utility of #VoteTogether

As the manager of Leadnow’s election campaign and a former student of Professor Maioni’s, I respectfully disagree with her perspective on campaigns like VoteTogether.ca (in the Globe and Mail, Sept 14).

 

We live in an era of technology where voter intent, popularity of candidates, parties and leaders can be deduced regularly and with ease. In fact, far from needing a slide rule, we have the Internet. VoteTogether.ca is compiling historic results, party positions, and where possible, multiple riding-level polls funded by Leadnow community members - this level of information in a one-stop shop is unprecedented. It is somewhat patronizing that Professor Maioni says nothing of the availability of information online in a modern age, while arguing that successful strategic voting is difficult because it requires weighing different factors.

 

The notion that campaigns like ours are purely rational is misguiding, though I readily concede that information plays a big part in what we’re trying to achieve.  At its heart, the Vote Together campaign is about connecting our emotional response to a broken democracy to the best information and tools available, and a cross-country network that can do something about it.

 

Indeed, most voters do have a preference and for the majority of Canadians, Stephen Harper is not it. The inconvenient reality is that our broken voting system could easily distort our vote, and give another false Conservative mandate that the majority of Canadians actively oppose. Voting together is an act of asserting one’s preference, not the abandonment of it.  

 

Over 64,000 Canadians have already signed the Vote Together pledge to select and support the best local candidate to defeat the Harper Conservatives on Oct. 19. In some ridings, as many as 3000 people have committed to vote together in this election. Even if some of these people change their mind on Election Day, the margin may be enough to change the outcome.

 

The daunting prospect of four more years of a Harper government is strong motivation. Achieving the change so many of us want requires doing things differently this time, even if it might make some people uncomfortable.

 

Sincerely,

 

Amara Possian

Campaign Manager, Elections for Leadnow