More questions would deter voters
Regarding the ridiculous suggestion presented by some municipal councillors to include a referendum question on the ballot in the next municipal election and the various comments reported by the media and readers: No one mentioned the actual feasibility, as far as the voting public is concerned.
I was a supervisor at the last municipal election. As you recall, the voter had to choose the councillor of his/her district, the borough mayor and the mayor for the city. Obviously, there were a few names for each position. In our polling station, two-thirds of the voters were seniors.
One thing they all had in common was a proud look of civic duty once they were handed their ballot and were directed to the booth. Unfortunately, within a minute or two, they would come out of there with a look of confusion and panic.
They all pretty much declared the same thing: There were so many names on the ballot that they were very confused. The polling clerks tried to explain things to them, but that did not make much of a difference.
Many of them, after they had voted, came to me to report their frustration of not being able to vote, as they had originally intended, because they were always used to elections where you vote for one candidate whose name they memorized before leaving their house.
Furthermore, a lot of them indicated they were so frustrated by the very long list of names and positions that they ended up putting check marks for all the candidates (thereby cancelling their vote).
Imagine now, how the above scenario would be worse when, apart from the three positions on the ballot, you add one or two questions on other topics.
Based on my personal, lengthy experience in elections, I believe electors like to spend as little time as possible at the polling station. They usually have to wait their turn a fair amount of time and then, once they have cast their ballot, they practically run out of there.
Adding questions on the ballot will simply mean a longer delay in line followed by spending more time in the voting booth and that may actually turn people off and discourage them from voting altogether.
Robert Khalifa
Montreal