Vote Early, Vote Often

29 Replies to “Vote Early, Vote Often”

1. This is a vote for either spend a ton of money or spend a little less the a ton of money! Either way we are screwed and this thing called Canada is done!
   I vote separation!

2. From another internet commentator…

   It is a common tactic of the Left to try and frighten the electorate with all the evil plans that conservatives have up their sleeve if and when they gain power. Like Snidely Whiplash they will spring their dastardly schemes upon us and only Dudley Doright’s Liberals can save us. Snidely, (sorry) Stephen Harper was, among other things, going to cancel medi-care, have armed militia patrolling our streets and have public executions of homosexuals and abortionists. Balancing the budget, respecting the taxpayer and keeping the streets relatively safe just happened by accident.

   But we now have considerable historical data on exactly how evil conservatives can be. Perhaps liberal readers could give us examples of Snidely’s sinister policies and mismanagement in the handful of times he’s been in power in the past few decades?

   Ask yourself, in your lifetime, of the two main political parties who have been in power in Canada which one…

   Has lied to you the most?
   Has introduced new or higher taxes?
   Has had the most scandals?
   Has done the most stupid things with your money?
   Has insulted your intelligence?
   Has policies that meddle with your day to day life?
   Has funneled the most graft to their friends and family?
   Has promised that this time it will be different?

   Now think about who is really tying the damsel to the railroad tracks?

3. The usual pattern in all elections everywhere is that when there’s a very high turnout, that means that the voters are in a mood to toss out the government of the day. Anger is a great motivator. When people are angry they turn out to vote in greater numbers.

   1. Ok, but angry at whom? Many Canadians don’t think much, preferring to let the government do their thinking for them.

      1. As I stated, angry at the government of the day. Every Canadian is aware that they are substantially worse off than was the case 10 years ago. It takes no real thinking to blame the government for everything, particularly when it’s the federal government which is the cause. Even their friendly media has turned on them.

         1. Change is one reason. Trump Derangement Syndrome is another. And there is a lot of TDS to go around. Usually well off retirees who let Trump consume their golden years. In a bizarre way it’s kind of humorous. And pathetic. But they got their fat pensions and paid off houses so what do they care. Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves

   2. Generally true but I’m not holding my breath.
      Trump Derangement Syndrome is a powerful mind altering motivator.
      My wife saw a friend yesterday, to only find out she is fully engulfed in terminal TDS. She’s 69, divorced, lives alone. A perfect Liberal.
      Wife thinks their friendship is over, such is the derangement. She freaked when she found out we were still traveling to the US. This is normally a very low energy person, that has gotten old fast (5 jabs)
      Yes, a strong turnout can also mean that Trump HATE has them motivated too, though a vote based on that is beyond stupid. There’s a lot of that out there.

4. As I noted in another thread, I worked the polls in St. Paul’s in midtown Toronto for all four days. Good Friday was massive, with 45 minute waits at some times; the other days were about 70% as busy, but that meant the lines were much shorter. I was given a list of 3,000 names, and processed just over 1,000 electors, or about a third of my list. The other DROs had similar numbers.
   I will also note, having been a DRO in the recent Ontario election, that the antiquated technology used by the feds meant it took a minimum of two minutes to process a random voter – find their name manually on the list, which means flipping through flimsy pages, confirm against their ID, strike it off, record it in one place, record it in another place, give the voter a ballot and instructions, place the ballot in the box, and then tick that he’s voted. In the Ontario election, I would type their name in my tablet, confirm it against their ID, tick a couple of boxes, and hand them a ballot. “Next!”. Thirty seconds or so, most of the time.

   I haven’t counted my ballots yet; the boxes are sealed until next Monday, when I have to go in to count. I am pretty confident in the voting process I observed in both locations. I will let everyone know what I think about the counting process next week.

   1. So, this was my experience in Lotusland Greater Victoria.
      There were 8 stations. 6 had no lineups. Of course, my code was one of the long lines. 30 people ahead of me. It took 90 minutes to finally vote. The other zone stations could not allow other zones to vote.
      A terribly antiquated backward voting system. Local and provincial voting is far more streamlined. Says a lot about our federal government systems. I wonder how many committees it took to formalize the process.

      1. I like the pen and paper method. No computer “gliches” to skew the vote or prevent voting. Slower but safer.

         1. That’s exactly the case. Along with having to produce identification. This eliminates voter fraud at the polls.

            1. That’s fine. But the redundant process they have instituted, to wait for pnly your assigned clerk, means voting day will be a shitshow.

            2. Dan, that’s been reduced by the large number showing up to vote in the advanced polls. Canadians want them gone.

5. There was a REASON the framers of the US Constitution established a voting DAY. Not voting week. Not voting month. A voting DAY. This despite the fact that travel was by horse and wagon. It was far more difficult to vote on voting DAY in 1776 than today. And yet not a single person complained about being disenfranchised

   1. Kenji,
      These are advance polls that are meant to accommodate voters who would not be in their riding on the actual vote date, or unable due to other reasons to be able to get to the polls during regular voting times. They really are not meant to be a convenience for regular, available voters.
      I’ve used these advance polls often as my work would/could have me traveling during the voting date, sometimes on very short notice. Others could be people like Emergency Services who can easily get stuck on calls, Media types (both good and bad), other service areas.

      That there was such a turnout shows the interest in this election, either good or bad is yet to be seen.

      Funny note: There was a movement in Parliament last sitting to change the scheduled election date because it was on the same date as some religious event, to move it back a week (which was some other religious date) but was actually to allow many sitting members to achieve their 6 year anniversary date to get their pension. Funny that they were willing to use Easter holidays to hold the advance vote. Lying scum, the lot of them.

      1. “These are advance polls that are meant to accommodate voters who would not be in their riding on the actual vote date, or unable due to other reasons to be able to get to the polls during regular voting times. ”

         And they should be *only* for people who can demonstrate a need to use them. Anyone without a valid excuse for not voting on our official voting day should be turned away.

         1. The more people vote during Advance Polls the fewer would vote during the actual election day. It’s load balancing.

6. I never fail to vote but every time I do, Winston Churchill’s alleged comment about a 5 minute conversation with the average voter comes to mind. My polling location had 3 stations 2 or which had no lineups. Of course my designated station had about 10 people lined up. One voter spent probably 5 minutes behind the screen. I thought she’d suffered a stroke but she eventually appeared. I remarked to my wife that if it takes someone that long to mark an X beside a name, they probably shouldn’t be voting. Shortly thereafter, another voter came out from behind the screen and promptly headed for the exit with ballot in hand. Of course she was intercepted by a staff member and led back to the ballot box. It’s unfortunate that anyone that stupid plays a part in electing a government.

7. If the Bankster’s party wins, there might be a silver lining – that the fcker doesn’t win a seat. My BIL told me yesterday that there were way more Con signs in the riding than everyone else. (He said he knows it doesn’t necessarily mean anything.)
   Lots of the people in Marx Carbon’s riding are suburbanites.
   They want a heat pump like UnMe wants a white friend.
   And
   The have to drive everywhere.

   1. Indeed if that’s the case, my silver lining will be the Cons taking all of Vancouver Island except the wasteland of Communist Victoria.

   2. Not what I have seen….lots of Carnage signs in that riding.

8. I voted in the advance poll. Stood in line behind a Dutch dairy man….you know how he’s voting.

   The advance polls are for voters who aren’t changing their minds.

   1. “The advance polls are for voters who aren’t changing their minds.”

      Exactly. You win the thread. The Liberals are about to get handed a decade’s worth of anger and frustration from a huge number of voters. This is one of the few public opinion polls which actually matters.

      1. Eugene Forsey recounts (in his auto-bio) how in Montreal in the 40s voters got “telegraphed” – impersonated early on polling day so they couldn’t vote. It happened to Lady Shaughnessy and to John Farthing, the Anglican bishop of Montreal.
         My mind’s been made up since 2015 and people know it. I didn’t take any chances.

9. There were complaints about the long wait times. Those who voted Lieberal had better get used to standing in line for hours each day. The new routine will be waiting in line for your daily fill of bugs.

10. I see a major problem emerging with early voting. I already saw that terrorist, Nik Nanos, bragging about how Liberals were leading in early exit polling. So is this how our elections will go from now on? Pollsters telling us who is leading during the entire campaign (interference #1) and then telling us who is “winning” after each early voting period (more interference) ???

    1. Indeed. It’s the Canadian way.

       We send monitors all over the world to scrutinize voting in other democracies but look the other way at voter corruption at home.

    2. If you’re so damn spineless & weak-willed that you let your voting preference be effected by a poll of any kind, you’re probably a [spit] Prog and beyond help anyways.

       1. One more like that Biker, and I’m gonna take your modifier away for good. Thumbs up.