{"id":1054,"date":"2015-10-14T23:14:37","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T23:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/?p=1054"},"modified":"2019-10-09T21:22:21","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T21:22:21","slug":"dodging-the-ballot-non-voters-and-democratic-dissent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/dodging-the-ballot-non-voters-and-democratic-dissent\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodging the Ballot: Non-Voters and Democratic Dissent"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"entry-content\"><aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main \"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-large mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthethunderbird.ca%2Felxn42%2Fdodging-the-ballot-non-voters-and-democratic-dissent%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-large mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/?p=1054\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-large mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n                    <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-toggle-container\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons made by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47-->\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After every federal election, once the ballots are counted, we inevitably turn to the numbers of Canadians who chose <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to vote. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2011, 38.9 percent of the electorate avoided&nbsp;the polls&#8230;only slightly below&nbsp;the record-breaking&nbsp;41.2 percent<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;who did not vote&nbsp;in 2008. In fact, voter turnout has been dropping since the voter-rich period from the 1960s to the &#8217;90s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1933 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout.jpg\" width=\"1433\" height=\"984\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout.jpg 1433w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-768x527.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-1024x703.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-370x254.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-570x391.jpg 570w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-770x529.jpg 770w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-1170x803.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/1-voter-turnout-845x580.jpg 845w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1433px) 100vw, 1433px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overwhelmingly, Canadian news outlets frame non-voting as a problem of apathy. Non-voters are seen as&nbsp;having failed to participate, with the<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/news\/canada\/infographic-why-people-didnt-vote-in-the-2011-federal-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/politics\/ottawa\/what-a-non-voter-looks-like-in-canada-in-one-chart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maclean\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> referring to the&nbsp;\u201cexcuses\u201d offered by voters.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1934\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1934\" style=\"width: 837px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1934 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/2-macleans-screenshot.jpg\" width=\"837\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/2-macleans-screenshot.jpg 837w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/2-macleans-screenshot-300x101.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/2-macleans-screenshot-768x260.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/2-macleans-screenshot-370x125.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/2-macleans-screenshot-570x193.jpg 570w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/2-macleans-screenshot-770x260.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 837px) 100vw, 837px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Maclean&#8217;s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1936\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1936\" style=\"width: 648px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1936 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/3-natl-post-screenshot.jpg\" width=\"648\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/3-natl-post-screenshot.jpg 648w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/3-natl-post-screenshot-300x120.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/3-natl-post-screenshot-370x148.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/3-natl-post-screenshot-570x228.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1936\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: National Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Why do Canadians refuse to vote?<\/p>\n<p>Amid&nbsp;the pre-election frenzy of&nbsp;campaigns to encourage voting &#8212; not to mention unprecedentedly well-organized efforts at strategic voting &#8212; it&#8217;s worth asking this question again, and listening carefully to its varied answers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1937 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart.jpg\" alt=\"Non-voter Chart\" width=\"1005\" height=\"697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart.jpg 1005w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart-768x533.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart-370x257.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart-570x395.jpg 570w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart-770x534.jpg 770w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/4-non-voter-chart-836x580.jpg 836w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1005px) 100vw, 1005px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among all of the explanations for dodging the ballot, from being out of town, to disliking candidates, to avoiding bad weather, to simply not caring, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one category of non-voter stands out, enigmatically labelled \u201cother.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Who are these electoral &#8220;others&#8221; and what unnamed reasons do they have for not voting? Representing 11.4 percent of non-voters, they are a significant segment of the population.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Noticeably absent&nbsp;on the list is a category of eligible voters who refuse to vote because they object to the Canadian electoral system on&nbsp;principled grounds. Their specific reasons vary, and&nbsp;their voices can add something valuable to the post-election hand-wringing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here are a few of the reasons politically engaged, conscientious non-voters give for abstaining from the vote.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">1. INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1938\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1938\" style=\"width: 602px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1938 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/5-pam-palmater.jpg\" width=\"602\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/5-pam-palmater.jpg 602w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/5-pam-palmater-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/5-pam-palmater-370x269.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/5-pam-palmater-570x415.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1938\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: rabble.ca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some Indigenous people are against voting in federal and provincial elections because they believe it undermines their right to sovereignty.<\/p>\n<p>Pam Palmater, a Mi\u2019kmaw lawyer and Ryerson University chair in Indigenous governance.<b>&nbsp;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has written about her reasons for not voting on her <a href=\"http:\/\/indigenousnationhood.blogspot.ca\/2011\/04\/to-vote-or-not-to-vote-question-of.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website<\/a> and in various <a href=\"http:\/\/rabble.ca\/blogs\/bloggers\/pamela-palmater\/2015\/08\/power-indigenous-peoples-has-never-come-voting-federal-electi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">other media<\/a>. She argues that Indigenous peoples belong to&nbsp;sovereign Nations with the right to self-govern, and it therefore makes no sense for them to \u201cvote in another Nation\u2019s election process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1939\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1939\" style=\"width: 611px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1939 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/6-pam-palmater.jpg\" width=\"611\" height=\"507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/6-pam-palmater.jpg 611w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/6-pam-palmater-300x249.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/6-pam-palmater-370x307.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/6-pam-palmater-570x473.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1939\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: rabble.ca<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Palmater is not alone in her beliefs, but her voice exists within a complex and ongoing debate within Indigenous communities on the significance of federal elections.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1940 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/7-tweet.jpg\" width=\"588\" height=\"359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/7-tweet.jpg 588w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/7-tweet-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/7-tweet-370x226.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/7-tweet-570x348.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 588px) 100vw, 588px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">2. ANTI-CAPITALIST BOYCOTT<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1941\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1941\" style=\"width: 663px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1941 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-663x1024.jpg\" width=\"663\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-663x1024.jpg 663w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-768x1187.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-370x572.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-570x881.jpg 570w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-770x1190.jpg 770w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-1170x1808.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott-375x580.jpg 375w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/8-boycott.jpg 1325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1941\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Revolutionary Students Movement\/Revolutionary Communist Party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Communist and anti-capitalist groups like the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rsmuoft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Revolutionary Student Movement<\/a> have organized formal boycotts of the federal election,&nbsp;uniting members of the electorate, often already non-voters, under an umbrella of anti-capitalist action to incite change.<\/p>\n<p>Read more&nbsp;from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pcr-rcp.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Revolutionary Communist Party<\/a> and at <a href=\"https:\/\/boycottelections.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2015 Boycott the Elections!<\/a> campaign website.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">3. GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1435\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1435\" style=\"width: 627px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/Young_Voters_Could_Defeat_Harper__So_Why_Don_t_They____The_Tyee.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1435 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/Young_Voters_Could_Defeat_Harper__So_Why_Don_t_They____The_Tyee.png\" alt=\"Young_Voters_Could_Defeat_Harper__So_Why_Don_t_They____The_Tyee\" width=\"627\" height=\"141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/Young_Voters_Could_Defeat_Harper__So_Why_Don_t_They____The_Tyee.png 627w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/Young_Voters_Could_Defeat_Harper__So_Why_Don_t_They____The_Tyee-300x67.png 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/Young_Voters_Could_Defeat_Harper__So_Why_Don_t_They____The_Tyee-330x74.png 330w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 627px) 100vw, 627px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1435\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: The Tyee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Some people see more value in getting involved in grassroots movements to effect change more directly rather than participating in a &#8220;first-past-the-post&#8221; electoral system that does not give voice to smaller parties or independents.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Check out this&nbsp;profile in&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/thetyee.ca\/News\/2015\/04\/06\/Young-Voters-Could-Defeat-Harper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Tyee<\/a>&nbsp;for one young environmentalist&#8217;s perspective on her own decision to abstain from the vote.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1942\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1942\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1942 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/231\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-1024x380.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-1024x380.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-300x111.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-768x285.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-370x137.jpg 370w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-570x211.jpg 570w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-770x286.jpg 770w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-1170x434.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/files\/2015\/10\/grass-1564x580.jpg 1564w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1942\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Sujan Sundareswaran via Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After every federal election, once the ballots are counted, we inevitably turn to the numbers of Canadians who chose not to vote. In 2011,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":1856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[88,87,85,83,84,86,82,81],"coauthors":[59,61],"class_list":["post-1054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-projects","tag-anti-captialist","tag-apathy","tag-boycott","tag-dissent","tag-first-nations","tag-grassroots","tag-indigenous","tag-non-voters","post-item","post-even"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1054"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1967,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054\/revisions\/1967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1054"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thethunderbird.ca\/elxn42\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}