Voting has historically served as a powerful expression of political voice. But over the last 30 years voter turnout has steadily declined. Making things worse, young people, newcomers, the weakest and most vulnerable among us are even less likely to vote. It becomes part of a cycle of exclusion. The situation is compounded many times worse when modern politics discourages citizens from running for office and offering for public service. In the next Nova Scotia Provincial Election where we elect local members of the legislature and the party with the most elected members decides the premier, it's likely that only a little under half of the total citizens in the community will vote. Are you part of the "Voting Class"? Story-based voting is the idea that in the current circumstance a citizen who votes has the opportunity to cast a ballot to represent the interests of many. There's a reason that humans love stories. For tens of thousands of years they are how we've woven ourselves together into communities, how we've grown to understand each other, how we've shared new ideas and ancient values. Stories are the key to our success. Today there's never been more ways to consume and share stories. It's a golden age, but only if we use this powerful tool for the purpose of good. If you spend some time to get informed, to listen to the stories in your community and vote based on the opinions you've formed, you play a very important new role for active citizens in the community. We need to seek out those increasingly dissatisfied with the problems and excesses of the day, the weakest and most vulnerable among us, those still on the outside looking in, the ones not numerous or powerful enough to make a difference, the ones outside of wealth’s golden circle. These are the people who can show us the way. Let these people inform your vote. If there's one thing special, one thing great about Nova Scotia, it's that we've raised ourselves up over centuries, not by making more rich people but by making fewer people poor. It's a point of past pride and a wide path to more success and prosperity in the future. Politics - democracy - is how we make decisions, how we tell the story of where our wealth comes from, where it goes and what might be possible. What can you do? Listen to the stories of the marginalized, and the disenfranchised. Listen to the quietest voices. Listen to the stories of those who imagine more and better. Empower them with our destiny. Let them tell the stories about our values, about who we are, why we are, where we come from, and what might be possible. Let these stories inform your vote. If you vote in our current circumstance you are voting for many. As a voting citizen you're an office holder of the highest degree and the utmost responsibility, many times that of the past. Get informed on issues outside your self-interest. Gather all the facts you can. Form an opinion on your own. Encourage people to vote who may not otherwise and be understanding... you are voting for many. Share their stories and work toward a day when they will vote and share and reverse the cycle. |
John Wesley
Writing about life, citizenship, and Nova Scotia. Archives
June 2020
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