I'm leaning toward Mayor Atch on the issue of voters lists. With all due respect to City Clerk Mann how would she know whether or not we have voter fraud? You present yourself at a polling station, give a name and address, sign the book, receive a ballot and off you go to the voting booth. No ID is required. Is there an examination and cross check of each poll book? What is to stop political zealots from roaming ward to ward using bogus names and addresses and casting ballots.
I think this is a fair concern in light of recent events when candidates were responding to questionable campaign actions and laid responsibility on "over zealous" volunteers. The sale of memberships during Mr. Lingenfelter's NDP leadership campaign and the attachment of tax-funded business cards to Mr. Hill's solicitation letters are examples of volunteer enthusiasm.
I still believe the great majority of electors conduct themselves with honesty and integrity. But our processes are worth protecting against a minority who may not.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Remember the time the Federal Liberals got caught having people cast ballots for dead folks....
ReplyDeleteIts going to happen, no matter what. My parents and I recently voted in the Saskatoon-Riversdale by-election, and the provincial rules are more stringent than municipal ones, but we could have said we were Wayne Gretzky, or even Donald Duck and we could have voted. No one id'd, made us sign anything, or asked for any type of vouching!
I suppose the only way to try and keep things on the up and up is through scrutineers?
Or perhaps we should just keep our mouths shut in the hopes that people abuse the election system in our candidates favour?
I do think it's important to safeguard our system as much as is possible. Having some form of ID would be appropriate.
ReplyDeleteOf even more concern then voter fraud is voter apathy. We must find a means of encouraging people to exercise their franchise.
So lets get out the vote on the 28th!!!
And thank you to all the candidates for putting their names forward!!!
Or the time the Conservative party of Canada was caught breaking election laws?
ReplyDeleteHow do we protect the city of Saskatoon from so-called conservatives who run up massive amounts of debt?
ReplyDeleteI think if we ensure that voting is legitimate we will have the government the majority want.
ReplyDeleteGiven, as you said,the majority of the elctorate is honest we already have the Government the majority wanted.
ReplyDeleteExcept the majority of the electorate didn't vote.
ReplyDeleteCant do much about the people not voting. Its not the majority of the electorate that constitutes an election win. So quit your whining.
ReplyDeleteAnon is right. Suggesting the majority didnt choose the Government they want is lame at best. The majority of voters choose our Governments. And those who dont vote obviously dont care. Thus they arent relevant.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how some equal stating a fact with whining. The majority of potential voters in Saskatoon did not vote and so they did not choose the government. See last election Saskatoon 36.5 turnout meaning that 63.5% of the population did not vote meaning a majority of potential voters did not elect this current government. If somebody wants to attempt to say I'm whining go ahead but they would be debating a fact that a majority of potential voters did not vote. You can say the majority don't care or that they aren't relevant but it should be a concern when the majority of potential voters don't vote.
ReplyDeleteOf course its a concern. But the fact remains,that in our democracy, the majority of those voting elect the Government. So the fact is, the majority elected the Government...like it or not!
ReplyDeleteThe majority sat at home and didn't vote! Maybe you are confused but 36.5% is not a majority but a minority.
ReplyDeleteAre you half asleep? Read what I said. The majority, as per our election rules, elected the Governement. I am not suggesting that that is a good thing..simply is a fact!
ReplyDeleteNow go take a chill pill & relax!
Are you stupid?
ReplyDelete"But the fact remains,that in our democracy, the majority of those voting elect the Government. So the fact is, the majority elected the Government...like it or not!"
Those that vote in the civic election are a minority. So the minority that vote do elect the government but those that are elected were elected by the minority. Even those that were elected often do not receieve a majority of the vote including Atch in 2003.
Are we getting huffy & resorting to childish name calling now? Dont get a hernia over this..haha!
ReplyDeleteThe fact still remains the majority, as per our election rules, voted in the Government. The majority of those who voted, not the majority of the voting population elect our Government! You really do need to relax my dear!
Being enumerated to vote is a good way to remind people to vote. Presently we rely on people reading the voters guide, the star phoenix, or watch TV commercials.
ReplyDeleteVoter turnout reflects the the effectiveness of the advertising.
Vote and vote often! Just because someone is dead, has no opinion or just doesn't care, why should their vote go to waste. Some one should use it that way the percentages will be up and we'll know if we are hearing from the minority of the majority or the majority of the minority. This Blog is getting to much like a Monty Python skit! It was interesting to read for a while but it is so over. Don't bother answering this I WON'T BE BACK.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that the issue of accountability at City Hall with respect to council or its administration has not taken a larger role during the campaign.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we have to be more stringent on eligibility of voters, as failing to do so does raise the legitimacy of sitting elected officials (though not because of a "lack of a majority", as evidenced by the asinine comment "The majority of potential voters in Saskatoon did not vote and so they did not choose the government").
Also at issue is enforcement of existing bylaws, which administration either has to address or make recommendations to council for them to address. Considering the actions of one unnamed ethically-challenged public representative during the past two campaigns, who may or may not currenlty represent an area that may or may not include the downtown core, providing some teeth to currently existing bylaws is the least that can be done.
Of more concern, however, is the increased number of decisions made by council outside the eyes of public. Too many deliberations take place in camera, where council members participate in an unscrupulous game of horse-trading and only reveal their decisions once in council chambers.
The obvious example of this is with the whole Mendel Gallery debate. What we are not certain on are those other decisions made beyond the eyes and ears of the public.
This is not how a mature and healthy democracy ought to operate.
A candidate who tackles the lack of accountability at city hall through fact-based attacks and reasonable policy prescriptions could attract plenty of attention.
Too bad the current crop of challengers are blind to this sort of thing. Blind, or unwilling (read: scared) to tackle the challenge.
Well said anon. It is very disheartening that so few vote. Also very disheartening that we do not have minimal provisions in place to ensure we safeguard the voting system.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to elected officials /candidates following the bylaws., I was totally dimayed to see Swystun signage posted on light posts on 8th Street. If a candidate for mayor doesnt respect the election rules..how can we feel confident with her as mayor. Come on Lenore, that was just dumb & showed total disregard for election signage bylaws. I had considered voting for her...but not after that!
Ok maybe here is the answer to low voter turn-outs. Make it manditory! Fine all those that don't vote. Put it on their property taxes. Everyone voting in the civic election has to attest that they are living in Saskatoon so they have an address (ok except the "street people" so if you don't vote you get to pay more for living in our great city. Just a thought but I know some jurisdictions make it manditory. As for any safeguards that currently exist a broken condum could do a better job.
ReplyDeleteExcept even how many races do we have a candidate who is not elected with a majority of the votes? Like Atch in 2003 so this idea the majority are represented by the government is complete crap.
ReplyDeleteIt is very rarely that any level of government is elected with 50% of those voters that do exercise their franchise. Any time you have more than two candidates running for a position chances are the winning candidate will not receive 50% of votes cast. The department of political studies at the university has those stats.
ReplyDeleteThe argument above regarding no-show voters is so inane I refuse to debate it. To the author of those comments who states he/she won't be back - thank you for leaving.