My Top Five Reasons For Voting

• Blog author, Cynthia Ross Tustin.
• It’s election day in Ontario. Here are my top five reasons for voting. 
• Today’s blog is about encouraging you exercise your franchise.
• Posted Thursday June 2nd, 2022
• Innisfil, Ontario
• Shout out to Feedspot for naming me #73 on their 2022 Top 100 Retirement Blogs and Websites

It’s election day in Ontario. It’s been four years since our last provincial election. That means earlier this year it was time to draw up the writ, and dissolve Parliament. Then 124 writs/documents are drawn up for Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell to sign. 124 ridings in this province equals 124 documents to sign. Just to be upfront, today’s blog isn’t about convincing you to vote for a specific party or person. I’m just sharing my top five reasons for voting.

My Top Five Reasons For Voting

First and foremost – sanctimony! Yes, you read that right, sanctimony. People love to complain about politics and politicians. There is no greater joy than ending an argument with a  whiner that didn’t vote than by using the proverbial “if you didn’t vote, you don’t get to complain about who got elected.” Love it!

Variability. It’s a nice change of pace. We’re Canadian. An election breaks up the monotony from our perennial complaint favourites – the weather or the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Optimism. I still believe that voting is a privilege. Not to be misconstrued with voting is for the privileged. Everyone over 18 years of age gets to vote. Not every country allows for this.

Variety. You have a veritable Baskin Robbins of political flavours to choose from.  So many parties on the ballot this year. There’s red, ultra red, orange, green, blue, and new blue. I’m happy to have choices; but I think I’ll just stick with my regular blue vanilla ice cream.

And finally, mild delusion. I believe my vote makes a difference. In Ontario 3.6 million of Ontario’s eligible voters are over 60 years of age. I can’t say for sure that we’re coordinated in our shared interests. But I do know that we have “sway”. And “sway” mixed with some mild delusion builds is enough to change the world!

If you weren’t planning on voting today because you’ve lost all faith in the political system or you don’t like any of the flavours being offered, I still urge you to vote. If I can’t entice you to exercise your franchise with sanctimony, variability, optimism, variety, or mild delusions.  Perhaps righteous indignation will lure you to the poll. Consider going and spoiling your ballot and send your message that way.

And since I’m retired, I can make a day of it! Vote. Shop. Lunch with friends. Manicure. Go home, have a glass of wine and gloat!

Cynthia

I acknowledge that the land on which I live is the traditional territory of the Wendake-ionwl,  Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ , Mississauga, and Haudenosaunee peoples.