Do You Vote for the Candidate, or the Party?
I’ve been talking to a number of friends about the upcoming Alberta election, and one thing that seems to always come up in discussion of Canadian politics—at both the provincial and federal levels—is whether to vote for the party, or for the candidate.
I believe that most people vote for the party. If you want the Liberals to form the government, for example, you’re probably going to vote for the Liberal candidate in your riding, even if you think that the PC candidate will actually be better at representing his or her constituents.
I will admit that I usually vote for the party I want to see win the election, rather than the individual candidate. Based on the way that our first past the post political system works, it seems to make more sense to vote for a party, rather than an individual.
However, this year, I think I will be voting for a specific candidate in my riding. While I don’t necessarily want his party to win the election, I think that he will do a great job representing Edmonton-Centre. Evidently, so do a few high-profile Edmonton political figures. Their testimonials hold a lot of sway for me, so I think I’ll probably vote for this individual (who I’m not naming, because I’m trying to avoid endorsing any one candidate or party).
My question to you is, do you vote for the candidate, or for the party? Bonus points if you share the reasoning behind your voting method.