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Democracy and the NS Election

I woke up this morning worried about the level of voter engagement with this year's NS election and immediately wrote the following email to family and friends across the province. I hope some of you will consider doing the same. 

Dear Nova Scotia family and friends;


I’m taking the unusual step of writing to you today because I’m deeply concerned about the future of our province and the fate of our democracy. 


The Houston government’s decision to call a snap election has resulted in too many people apparently feeling as if their votes don’t matter because the outcome is predetermined. Worse, many people aren’t even sure where or how to vote because - for the first time I can remember - voter cards weren’t sent out to tell us where and when we could cast our ballots. 


The purpose of this email is four-fold:

  1. To ask you to please vote if you haven’t already done so; 
  2. To encourage you to review each of the party’s platforms before you vote;
  3. To invite you to tune into the second leader’s debate this week; and
  4. To urge you to encourage others to vote as well.
Plan to Vote:


You can find out where to vote are by visiting the Election Nova Scotia site here: 

https://enstools.electionsnovascotia.ca/edinfo/Location.aspx


I’d suggest you input your address and hit “return”, rather than using the map search function since the map search results seemed quite confusing. 


On the plus side, there are lots of options for when and where to vote:

  • You can vote at any early voting location (Returning Office, Community Poll, or Advance Poll) anywhere in the Province, not just in your home electoral district, until Saturday, November 23, 2024. 
  • On Monday, November 25, you can vote at the Returning Office in your electoral district. 
  • On election day, Tuesday, November 26, 2024, you can vote at your assigned election day voting location or the Returning Office in your electoral district

If you need help figuring out where to vote, shoot me a message and I’ll be happy to look up the options for you. 


Review the Party Platforms:


Each of the main parties has produced a detailed list of commitments, which are posted on-line. I hope you can find time to review them, then contact your local candidates if you have any questions or concerns you want them to address before you make your final decision. 


You can read the platforms by clicking on the following links:

Liberal Party: Better Deal for Nova Scotia - 2024 Election Platform



Progressive Conservative Party: Make It Happen


New Democratic Party: NSNDP Platform 2024


Green Party: Platform 2024



However you’ve voted in the past, I’d encourage you to review all the platforms. I was impressed by how much thought went into most of them. And, personally, I think it’s important to know exactly what we’re voting both for and against when we head to the polls. 

Tune into the Leaders’ Debates:


The first leaders’ debate took place last week, and was well worth watching. All the leaders explained their party’s positions well, with a minimum of nastiness. If you have time, you can watch a recording of the first debate on the CBC site here: N.S. party leaders get testy over hot campaign issues in CBC debate | CBC News



The second debate (which is being called a Round Table) will be held this coming Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, and will be broadcast live on CTV.  


Encourage Others to Vote:


I know folks are busy and many feel as if voting’s a waste of time but the fact is democracy only works well when we take time ask questions, learn about the platforms and vote for the people we truly think will do the best job. The billionaire class is happiest when we vote with too little information or don't bother to vote at all because that makes it easier for them to get their own way.


It seems to me things will only get better for the rest of us when politicians truly understand that we expect them to make sensible promises and keep them, and that, when/if they don’t, we’ll hold them accountable. 


So please consider taking a few minutes today to:

  • forward the information above to friends and family who might find it helpful;
  • offer to drive someone to a polling station on or before election day; and
  • use your social media accounts to tell people you plan to vote and that you hope they will too. 
Thanks so much for considering all this!  And happy voting!!

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