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beachlassSo I went to vote this morning before heading to the office. The woman ahead of me at my polling station was pretty obviously mentally disabled. The poll officer took care to get her settled, reminding her to ask if she needed any help. When she had her ballot ready, she came to drop it in the box, and asked "Does my vote count?" - reassurances all round, of course her vote counts, every vote does... "Because someone told me that if I put it in a box, it doesn't count." she continued.
What?
So.. more reassurances, all the votes in the box get counted, that's how it works, her vote will be counted with everyone else's.
And it's not that I believe there should be an IQ limit on voting privilege; but it's the naive gullibility that makes me feel heartsick. Because there's someone who doesn't know enough about the basic voting mechanics to understand that the box is where the votes go; and it's exactly that sort of believe-anything-you're-told that the last round of OMG SEX EDUCATION WILL RUIN CHILDREN goddamn conservative political ads targeted in this election. And I confront it doing pastoral visits; (mostly) elderly people who believe any damn thing because they heard it on the radio; or saw on a TV show; or got a spam email, or are reposting on facebook. And, god help me, they all vote. Even the one who died before the election happened voted in an advance poll. From her hospital bed. (What are the chances that the people who make sure the elderly in nursing homes vote also advocate for prisoners and homeless people?)
I come round pretty quickly (driving down the country road to my office, cranking the dance tunes in a futile attempt to elevate my mood) - to all the bullshit hoops we make immigrants and refugees jump through to get into this country; and how residency is so hard to obtain; and how many born-here Canadians would probably fail the tests; and how age of majority is all that is required to participate in deciding who runs the country, the province, the town.
And I'm just frustrated this morning. By willful ignorance. By politicians who calculatingly take advantage of ignorance. By my own elitist asshole-ish reaction to the woman ahead of me. By voting in a first-past-the-post system where my candidate never fucking wins.
What?
So.. more reassurances, all the votes in the box get counted, that's how it works, her vote will be counted with everyone else's.
And it's not that I believe there should be an IQ limit on voting privilege; but it's the naive gullibility that makes me feel heartsick. Because there's someone who doesn't know enough about the basic voting mechanics to understand that the box is where the votes go; and it's exactly that sort of believe-anything-you're-told that the last round of OMG SEX EDUCATION WILL RUIN CHILDREN goddamn conservative political ads targeted in this election. And I confront it doing pastoral visits; (mostly) elderly people who believe any damn thing because they heard it on the radio; or saw on a TV show; or got a spam email, or are reposting on facebook. And, god help me, they all vote. Even the one who died before the election happened voted in an advance poll. From her hospital bed. (What are the chances that the people who make sure the elderly in nursing homes vote also advocate for prisoners and homeless people?)
I come round pretty quickly (driving down the country road to my office, cranking the dance tunes in a futile attempt to elevate my mood) - to all the bullshit hoops we make immigrants and refugees jump through to get into this country; and how residency is so hard to obtain; and how many born-here Canadians would probably fail the tests; and how age of majority is all that is required to participate in deciding who runs the country, the province, the town.
And I'm just frustrated this morning. By willful ignorance. By politicians who calculatingly take advantage of ignorance. By my own elitist asshole-ish reaction to the woman ahead of me. By voting in a first-past-the-post system where my candidate never fucking wins.
