The election is finally over. Canada has picked their new government. Overall the NDP did well and increased their seats in the House. But I have to say I’m disappointed that Peggy Nash didn’t win in my riding. Get all the riding results here.
I spent much of yesterday scrutineering, going door to door to NDP supporters and making sure they got out to vote. I’ve written about my involvement with this campaign here and here, and yesterday’s pavement pounding brought it all together.
In earlier canvassing we went around determining who was supporting the NDP and asking them to put up lawn or window signs. At first I thought this was just to tackle our embarrassing low voter turnout, get the NDP message out and gauge the support in the area. But yesterday’s scrutineering made me realise how much every vote counts and that it’s vitally important for the parties to ensure that every polite promise of support turns into a marked ballot.
One of the most troubling times for me yesterday was heading into a low-income community to get the many NDP supporters out to vote. The first of many hurdles faced by the voters in this collection of apartments and government housing projects was that they were more than a kilometre from their polling station. Many people living there had no idea where the polling staton was or any cars to take them there – and they sure as hell weren’t walking there. I and my fellow scrutineers went door to door and arranged rides for anyone willing to go, but for many it was just too much hassle and we got the run around.
But the most frustrating thing of this whole exercise wat that literally about 200 yards away from the government houses was another polling station. It was within walking distance to every person who lived in the low income houses, but it wasn’t their poll. This second station was in the basement of a higher income apartment tower, it was for the apartment dwellers only and it was where I was helping count the vote.
As I sat in the lush recreation centre of the apartment building, I counted the ballots and watched my NDP candidate lose by a wide margin. I couldn’t help but think how this part of the riding might have gone very differently if only the people from the low income community were allowed to vote at this, much closer but more exclusive polling station.
As unfair as it seemed, I realise that this polling station inequity wasn’t the result of some conspiracy to cheat the lower income people out of their vote. It just came down to a lack of awareness from Elections Canada, the voters in the neighbourhood and the party that stood to gain the most from this part of the riding – the NDP.
The polling station inside the apartment building was there because a few people that lived there cared enough and were informed enough to get it organised. They took the time to sit at that station for 12 hours and count the votes and that is a credit to them. This same knowledge and engagement needs to spread to those people who feel the most disenfranchised.
Knowledge and engagement as essential to an election victory and as the slickest TV ad. And that is where parties like the NDP can gain real ground next time we all go to the polls.
