It seems like for the last 13 months we have been in perpetual election mode. First was the federal election in September 2021, then the provincial election in June 2022, and soon the municipal election. So much democracy in such a short time is tiring – as I have commented about before – but also very informing. I, for one, feel very informed about the ballot choices other people plan to make.
I’m a curious person – sometimes too curious. It’s an occupational hazard. That curiosity gets me into all kinds of situations – some good, some not so much. I’ll ask a question that goes unanswered, file a Freedom of Information request, query an official or two, complain, then take what I learn and write an article for publication. That’s journalism.
As a resident of my community, I find with the string of elections in the last 13 months that, I don’t have look far for my curiosity to be answered about who is supporting whom. I just have to look for a sign – an election sign.
Election signs are the dandelions of the political process. Signs pop up like unwanted weeds along the sides of roads, on people’s lawns, and in the case of my local municipal election, on skeletons (don’t question it – I’ve been told it’s fun.)
Only some of the signs are on public land, meaning the rest are on private property. Those people chose to put those signs up. This is great, and here’s why.
In 1874, Canada adopted the secret ballot. Before that time, voting in Canada and its colonial predecessors took place in public spaces where the electorate of the day met and in a very public way cast their ballots with a show of hands.
These meeting spaces were typically bars and taverns. Voters were often inebriated, and all forms of hi-jinx were on display according to published reports. Voters (only men remember) were often plied with quantities of alcohol to influence voting behaviours. Sometimes even monetary rewards were involved. Scandalous I know!
The secret ballot provides anonymity. How I vote is my choice and no one can connect my ballot with my political preferences unless I spill the beans. A great concept, but where is the fun in that? I want accountability!
If people make bad choices, and vote poorly, I want to know who to blame. Thanks to election signs – there is no curiosity required, just a good memory.
I think we need to improve the rules for the visual nuisance of election signs. Campaigns should only be allowed to place election signs on private property, with the permission of the property owner of course.
Some municipalities in Ontario have done this already. The City of Cornwall only allows municipal campaign signs on private property. There’s no more anonymity for supporters placing signs at every roundabout, intersection, and drive through exit. People in Cornwall know who is supporting whom – all’s fair in politics no?
On a very recent trip to Cornwall, I noticed few election signs up anywhere. I guess people want to keep their politics to themselves. That or they don’t like any of the candidates running. Perhaps it’s a little of both.
Only allowing election signs on private property should be adopted for provincial and federal elections too. Not only will it end some of the visual disarray on our roadways and public spaces, it adds that accountability factor that I seek. There’s also a financial benefit.
Election campaign legislation gives political parties a public subsidy based on the votes received in an election. That is why many political parties seek to run candidates in every riding, even the un-winnable ones, just to get that per vote subsidy.
We already pay for those big parties – costs should be cut. Election signs are expensive to buy, averaging $12-16 each for those little signs, and over $100 each for those big billboard-type signs. No signs on public land lowers campaign costs and that means financial savings for us when we pay the bill.
Voting in any election, especially at the municipal level, is like playing the lottery. Pick your numbers and punch your ticket – you may get some picks right and win something. If you’re really lucky, you’ll call all the numbers right and win big. Odds are however, you’ll pick nothing right and your ticket is a dud. In that case, I want accountability, someone to blame for the poor choices other people made, that we’ll all have to live with for the next four years.
In the coming weeks, as you drive around in your community, take note of who has whose campaign sign(s) on their lawns. If you don’t like the outcome of this election, or any future election, you’ll at least know who to blame for it.