Whether we want it or not a Federal Election is once again upon us. We go to the polls on May 2. Many people, especially the young, are not voting and are not interested in becoming involved in the political process. This is both disappointing and a bit of a cop out. Voting in Canada is exceptionally easy and takes barely 10 minutes of your time. Yes, not everyone is interested in the political machinations of Ottawa or Victoria but the decisions that are made there have a direct economic effect on many of us. A lot of youth claim that they don't know where they lie on the political spectrum as an excuse for not voting. The CBC, on their news website, is are offering an interesting questionnaire called Vote Compass which tries to show which party you are closer to after you have answered 30 questions. Thousands of Canadians have already taken part in Vote Compass and it is an interesting exercise which has created a lot of discussion. It was created by a group of political scientists and election researchers. Go ahead and give it a try.
Please get out and vote on May 2.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/votecompass/
Just did this and what a great tool for a discussion starter with yourself and /or others - I hope schools use it to raise the issues and to help students sort out their own minds. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
ReplyDeleteI think this tool lacks a lot of questions that would show a better indication of where voters' preferences lie. It seems to focus only on items that have been discussed over the past year or so by each party and not overall issues that parties have been advocating for years. I think a vote compass could be a good idea, but it requires more appropriate questions.
ReplyDeleteI have found that the Political Compass provides a more accurate profile of my views.
http://www.politicalcompass.org/
The organization tracks and has tracked elections in various countries across the world including Canada. I hope they update it for our current election.