Post on 08-Apr-2018
8/7/2019 Political Columns: Getting Out the Vote
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8/7/2019 Political Columns: Getting Out the Vote
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G E T T I N G O U T T H E V OT E 115
G E T T I N G O U T T H E V O T E
There are too many mercenaries for hire in politics.Theres too much money. There are too many people
hoping to reach into the pork-barrel after the
election. Theres too much technology and theres
too much TV.
Yet, on election day, in many jurisdictions,
especially in the Parliamentary system, political
power is vested in ordinary people for a few hours.
Many of these are the people who put up signs,
staffed phone banks and stood at plant gates or bus
stops with the candidate during the campaign. Now
they staff their own kitchen table, basement or
rented campaign office in what was a failed pizza
parlor that nobody else wanted to rent.
On election day, it boils down to getting out the
vote. Calls, offers of a lift to the voting place andwatching over the democratic process as electors
vote are a high calling. This is the best homage to
that calling I can muster.
The process begins the minute the election is called. Campaignersgoing door to door to start to identify the vote. Others are doing thesame by phone. In a winter campaign there may be more relianceon the phone because of weather.
The main purpose of the door to door canvass and the candidatecanvass is not discussing policy or even introducing the candidateto the electorate. Candidates have been all but irrelevant in North
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