It’s fair to cast your election vote strategically to achieve priorities
Climate change is killing the planet, so my absolute priority this election is to replace the Harper government. I belong to a political party but our local candidate has no chance of defeating the Conservative, so I’m thinking of voting strategically for the candidate who does. What are the ethics of belonging to one party and voting for another?
I do some construction in my spare time, and I’ve learned that any job is easier with the right tool. But sometimes the perfect implement is not at hand; we live half an hour from the nearest hardware store. In those times there’s only one alternative: manage with what you’ve got, and pick up a new what-chama-call-it as soon as possible.
Many Canadians realize that the electoral tool we use is busted. In the last election, fewer than 40 per cent of those who bothered to turn out voted Conservative, which means over 60 per cent voted for someone else. But the Harperites not only won a majority, they actually increased their seat count. If my hammer worked that poorly, I’d throw it out and get a new one.
As someone involved in the political process, then, one of your priorities should be to work toward electoral reform. This gets talked about, but has trouble gaining traction in this country. Yet our first-past-thepost system puts many Canadians in exactly the ethical dilemma you’re confronting — and until we get a new electoral tool, there’s no perfect fix.
In the meantime, however, you have to go with what you’ve got, and as in carpentry, that may require a workaround. Strategic voting really sucks. It means supporting either a candidate you think is no better than second-best in your riding, or voting for a party whose platform you don’t support.
Remember, incidentally, that if you believe a local candidate is best but doesn’t represent your party, that’s not “strategic” voting per se; that’s a legitimate way to cast a ballot in our system. Strategic voting is when you mark your ballot for a candidate or party you wouldn’t normally choose, purely for the sake of defeat- ing another. And it’s a poor solution at best — but a poor solution can be preferable to none at all. I’ve driven a few nails with the handle of my wrench; sometimes you make do.
The complication in your case, however, is that you are not just a casual voter; you’re a member of a political party. It’s dishonest to campaign on behalf of one party then vote for another — you can’t tell others to do what you won’t do yourself. Nor can you campaign for another party but retain membership in your own; it’s fine to switch horses, but you can’t ride two steeds at once.
But party membership doesn’t bind a person’s vote — that’s why we have a secret ballot. So ethically, it’s fair to vote as necessary to achieve your priority — as long as you skip campaigning this time. You can go back to work for your own party when the election is over.
Don’t forget: Thomas Mulcair voted Liberal provincially, and former Liberal leader Bob Rae is reputed to have a history with the NDP. Political realities sometimes change with time and circumstance. Send your questions to star.ethics@yahoo.ca.