Thepathto2022 election in Pen tic ton

With about one month to go, election fever is beginning to build. The last of the candidates jumped on to the political bandwagon last Friday.

As per usual, there is a cadre of incumbents and a new crop of wannabes. Nothing new here.

The good old democratic way. Turnout seems to paramount in municipal elections. Many times in the past we have seen relatively low turn outs for voting. Election BC estimates that voting percentages for 2022 across B.C. will be between 52% and 54%. In the 2018 election here in Penticton it was 53.2%.

Voting predictions and statistics are one thing, reality is another. At a little better than 53% last time, indicates that we were satisfied to let approximately half our population to decide our political path.

Think about this. It seems pretty pathetic to allow half of the population to decide what direction the city goes in.

Time and time again we hear the story of human sacrifice made to guarantee a free and democratic right to vote. Yet many of us seem to “sit on our hands” and, by not voting, give the okay to those who do actually make the conscientious effort to vote. How sad!

Voting doesn’t cost you anything. There is a little investigative work to do in checking out prospective candidates to see which ones might meet your particular needs. That’s it; except for voting when the time comes.

This election has five individuals vying for the mayor’s chair. We have 17 individuals vying for council seats. It is refreshing to see this cadre of individuals. There are some new faces; some younger individuals and, of course, incumbents. Signs are out and some candidates are making presentations.

That being said, there is a caveat this time around with the number of candidates running. That caveat is the importance of voter turnout. Because there are so many running, it is very important to have a good voter turnout to avoid the possibility of vote splitting.

Voter turnout cannot be over emphasized. It is a privilege that we have; it is necessary to provide governance and it is our responsibility to exercise this right.

The only requirement is for us to vet those who would run for office, to get to know who they are and then make an informed decision by voting.

See you at the polls.

Ron Barillaro Penticton