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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