Why is Voting important?

By: Asma Shums,
We are often told that voting is our civic duty, a responsibility that each citizen must place to the highest importance. Each November we are bombarded with flyers and radio ads with candidates in our area. We know it is important but many don’t know the significance of voting.
Our communities are made up of people from many different countries. Some of us have faced extreme hardship due to the economic situation, political unrest, or corruption in our homelands which made us leave it in the first place. We chose Canada as our new home because the standard of living, government authenticity, benefits, and many more advantages we can enjoy for ourselves and future generations. We can protest peacefully, have rights in our workplaces, and necessities taken care by the government if required.
Now, voting as seen as tiresome and a chore that we procrastinate and ignore. We can complain about our electoral process and the flaws that we find, but we cannot argue about its disadvantages if we do not cast a ballot. The entire point of an election and democracy is choosing candidates based on our views, issues, and needs. Many think that their vote does not count but that is untrue. Each and every vote counts. Imagine if everyone thought this way, where would we be?
Our vote counts.
The people we vote into power truly possess power in making decisions that directly affect our lives. Governments make decisions on things such as water, sewage, waste collection, libraries, emergency services, economic development and more. These decisions, no matter your views, do affect our daily lives. We can have a say in these by casting a vote.
Why should we vote?
1. Voting is privilege that people in other parts of the world would love to have;
2. Voting is a privilege that our parents and grandparents fought and died to preserve;
3. This is your chance to influence the government that affects you on a daily basis;
4. The candidates that aren’t the best might spend tax money unwisely;
5. The candidates might get elected will represent your community in a way you do not want to be represented;
5. This is the chance to choose the candidates that do a better job get elected;
6. This is the best think you can do for the future generations, by showing them that democracy is a good thing and it is our duty to be a voter.
How can you vote?
• In Person – Contact the Provincial Government on 1-800-661-8683 to find out your electoral district
• By Mail- Vote by Mail packages received via mail should be returned to Elections BC by Oct 24 at 8 pm.
info at: asmashums@gmail.com