Voters are now preparing to go to the polls to choose the next provincial government.
The outcome of this election will set the direction for the province for the next four years, and the effects of some of the decisions made by the next government could last much longer. This is why this election – and all elections – are important.
This is when voters are asked to determine the best choice for the riding and the province. It’s a time to consider which candidate would best represent the riding and which party’s platform best aligns with individual voters’ goals and values.
In short, the election on Oct. 24 is the time to select the best choice from the options available. However, if past elections are any indication, the tone could easily switch from choosing the best to avoiding the worst.
This tone has come up in previous election campaigns at various levels and in comments and letters from readers.
No other decisions are made this way. Employers do not select workers who are not quite as bad as other applicants. Consumers do not choose the least repulsive purchases. And nobody selects a close friend or life partner simply because that person is not as bad as another choice.
But voters cannot perfect the enemy of the good and avoid casting a ballot simply because no party or candidate presents views identical to their own.
In the end, a negative tone during an election campaign will result in jaded, frustrated voters. This may also be the reason voter turnout is not as high as most of us would like.
Decisions made in the B.C. Legislature affects all of us, and because of this, the choice of who makes all should make those decisions of us.
The outcome of the election on Oct. 24 will set the tone for British Columbia in the coming years. This is a time to make the best possible choice to guide the province forward.