Rants &Raves

Comments on non-voters, superb performances and more

RANT: For non-voters. Anyone find it embarrassing that just 53.88 per cent of eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot in this week’s provincial election? We’ve heard lots of excuses for not making the effort, not enough time and disillusionment with politicians chief among them. Well, here’s one more. Laziness. Consider for a moment that the voter turnout in the 1956 provincial election was 80.51 per cent and four years later it reached a high-water mark of 82.02 per cent. That’s more than eight out of 10 voters making the effort to exercise their civic rights and without the benefit of the extended advanced poll options available nowadays. We say that Canada and the provinces should take a page out of Australia’s book (plus those of several other countries) and introduce compulsory voting. That’s providing ‘None of the above’ is an option. Otherwise, given current trending levels, we are going to have governments elected by less than 30 per cent of eligible voters in another 50 years and that’s a scary thought.

RAVE: Reversing the trend. As crappy as the overall Nova Scotia voter turnout out was, it wasn’t quite so bad in Cape Breton where seven of the eight ridings topped the provincial average and five ridings surpassed the overall voter turnout in the 2013 and 2009 elections. Leading the way were Cape Breton-Richmond with 69.92 per cent voter turnout and Inverness with 67.85. Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg and Cape Breton Centre also topped the 60 per cent mark. In fact, without the Cape Breton vote the overall provincial turnout wouldn’t have been much more than 50 per cent. Darn Mainlanders.

RANT: For election result delays. With all due respect to Elections Nova Scotia, there must be a faster way to count the early votes. If not, election night delays are only going to get worse because the move to additional advance polls means more people (at least those who bother to vote) will vote early. Can anybody say electronic voting?

RAVE: For great shows. Superb stage performances are commonplace in Cape Breton and one of the best we’ve seen took place last weekend when “The Legends, Their Music, Their Stories” played to packed audiences at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay. Conceived, written and director by Jenn Sheppard and Stephen Muise, the show dazzled from beginning to end and the performances were outstanding, none more so than Sheppard who was magical as Patsy Cline. “The Legends, Their Music, Their Stories” returns ” returns for one night only at the Savoy in September. We highly recommend it.