Dismal.That was the state of voter turnout for this year's civic election in Humboldt. Twenty-eight per cent? Really, Humboldt?It was difficult to choose which of the 11 candidates to vote for. Each had something great to offer council, and I know I had a difficult time narrowing my votes down to six. But having too many good people running can't be an excuse for not voting. Exercising your right to vote is an integral part of the democratic process. We need to do it in order for the system to work. It makes sure that those elected are the choice of the majority of the community, that the entire city had a say in who is sitting in those council chairs. When we have a voter turnout of just 28 per cent, that doesn't give council much of a mandate from the people. It just tells them that while, yes, the majority of the people who voted, voted for them, nearly 70 per cent of the community didn't vote at all. They remained silent when asked by their city who they wanted to represent them. And when you remain silent about things that should matter to you, you have absolutely no right to complain about either the people who are on council, or the decisions that they make on behalf of the city. I know this is something that is said a lot. And it's something that non-voters usually ignore. But it really is true. Your vote really is your voice. It's your chance to stand up and say, "These are the people that I want to represent my interests."By not voting, what you're doing is stepping to the side, refusing to participate. To use a hockey metaphor, you're remaining on the bench, by choice, so whatever happens in the game - penalties, wrong moves, goals scored against or a complete victory - is nothing to do with you. You don't get to celebrate. You don't get to lament. Because you chose not to be involved. You chose to sit this one out.Even if you don't believe in our election system, if you have some sort of issue with politics or the way our country is run, you should still vote. By not voting, you're not protesting. You're not raising your voice. You are silencing it.And while sometimes, silence can be deafening, that's not the case when you don't vote.No, instead of being seen as a political martyr who has given up their vote to prove a point, you just look lazy, like it was too much effort to go down to the polling station and mark an X on a ballot. How long does it take to vote? In this city, about 10 minutes if there's a line. If there's no line, two minutes, tops. And sometimes, that includes the drive down to the polling station.There's just no excuse for it.
