The Immorality of Voting
During the lead-up to the Alberta General Election I strongly cautioned those around me from getting too caught up in the rather ridiculous process. There is little about elections that are democratic and responsive; rarely, if ever, do they produce the results society is seeking. Rarely, if ever, are the elections fair. And rarely, if ever, is there any meaningful deliberative process that moves society forward.
After the Alberta General, I was — while unsurprised by the results — deeply moved by the experience, overall. I don’t recall being quite so sickened during or after an election cycle and never have I felt an Albertan election to be as disconnected and vacuous.
Elections — I’m more vocally arguing — are a terrible distraction away from real politics and real change. Too often, I feel alone in this charge.
In a recent column, Act Responsibly: Don’t Vote! Wendy McElroy articulates this challenge far better than I:
The check mark or the punched chad on a ballot means “yes” it is the consent you give to the electoral process by virtue of participating. No wonder all candidates agree on one point: you should vote. They are like religious leaders who urge you to worship at the church of your choice. First and foremost, politicians want you to sanction the process by which they acquire power and money because, without that sanction, they have no legitimacy.
Voting is not an act of political freedom. It is an act of political conformity.
It is commonly said, “If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about the outcome.” The opposite is true. By playing the game, voters agree to the rules. Only those who don’t play and withhold their consent have a right to complain about the outcome, especially since the winner will have his hand in the non-voter’s pocket.
Voting is not an act of political freedom. It is an act of political conformity. Those who refuse to vote are not expressing silence. They are screaming in the politician’s ear: “You do not represent me. This is not a process in which my voice matters. I do not believe you.”
Shamefully, I did vote in this election. But it’s the first election in a long time that I didn’t involve myself actively with a political party.
Ironically, in my professional life, much of my spring has been spent addressing student disenfranchisement and apathy.
Still, most post-secondary students across the Province will not have voted in this election.
Perhaps they’ve got this figured out better than I do.
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