Stephen Mandel is Re-elected as Mayor of Edmonton
It’s official, Stephen Mandel is the mayor of Edmonton for another term. This result comes as a shock to absolutely no one. The one thing that did strike me about this election was the utter lack of participation by most Edmontonians. The turn out was dismal. I don’t have the exact numbers right now, but I know that it was low.
Admittedly, this campaign was fairly uneventful, and I didn’t really see a lot of information about it that didn’t require some degree of digging, but that’s not a very good excuse. People need to be politically engaged. People need to vote!
I don’t know what needs to be done to get people to care about politics in this city, but something needs to be done. The problem, of course, isn’t just in Edmonton. It’s a widespread problem, that extends across the country, and throughout most democratic nations.
The problem is basic voter apathy. People feel that all of the candidates are essentially the same. People feel that their vote doesn’t matter, that they can’t change the system. Perhaps more problematic than those issues is that people don’t think voting matters at all. They take their freedom for granted.
Most of us have never had to live through a situation that genuinely threatened out freedom. Most of us can’t comprehend living in a dictatorship. The idea of an oppressive regime isn’t a real fear for the average person. Hell, to be honest, most people probably wouldn’t even notice if an oppressive regime took power, so long as they did it quietly.
If the government simply decided that they weren’t going to call an election, I bet they could carry on for at least 7 or 8 years before most people noticed that, “Hey, we haven’t had an election in quite a long time.” That, to me, is more frightening than the idea of a dictator taking control of the government by force.
Still, I don’t know what is necessary to encourage people to taking voting seriously. Since I don’t have the answers, I’ll put it to you: what can be done to increase citizen engagement in the democratic process both in Edmonton, and around the world?
The only thing that can be done to increase citizen engagement in the democratic process is to take away democracy. The only way we truly understand or appreciate anything is by having it and then losing it. In terms of practical, implementable solutions: Education.
Mike
16 Oct 07 at 8:47 am
I tend to agree with you, Mike. Short of shocking people into action, there isn’t much that can be done. Education will help, though, so it’s obviously what we should focus on.
Adam Snider
16 Oct 07 at 9:29 am
re: taking away democracy: Shock and outrage also work to bring people to the table. I have the feeling that people only really care about politics when it impedes their every-day lives. E.g. The only time I’ve ever heard people care about municipal politics is when the streets aren’t getting cleared in the winter.
If politicians or whoever, want more people to turn out they need to frame it in a way that makes people angry and their vote being a bolt of furious retribution.
allan
16 Oct 07 at 12:47 pm
That’s actually a really good point, Allan. Hell, one of the mayoral candidates ran a significant portion of his campaign on the “art gallery renovation vs. fixing potholes” issue (which, really, should be a non-issue). It didn’t work, in that case, but I think you’ve got a good point.
Adam Snider
16 Oct 07 at 12:50 pm