聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call regarding my column in which I stated I sometimes choose not to vote. The caller was simply letting me know that there鈥檚 a way to vote in which you can 鈥渄ecline your ballot,鈥� also known as a protest vote. Essentially by doing it, you鈥檙e saying that you鈥檙e not happy with any of the individuals/parties running, but instead choosing not to vote, it allows you to cast your ballot. Thus, you get are an engaged citizen, but if you鈥檙e not happy with your choices it is a way to record that.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In Saskatchewan this is made law through The Elections Act, 1996, under section 80, subsection 3: 鈥淚f a voter has returned the ballot paper, declining to vote, the deputy returning officer shall immediately write the word 鈥榙eclined鈥� on the ballot paper and shall preserve it to be returned to the returning officer.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I really like this option and it鈥檚 one that I didn鈥檛 know we had. It allows you to exercise your right to vote, being counted as someone that鈥檚 gone to the polling station, but it does allow you to voice that you鈥檙e unhappy with the choices presented to you.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 You鈥檙e not one of those statistics that they talk about low voter turn-out and was it because people simply didn鈥檛 go and vote or was it a protest vote? They also are not spoiled ballots that are just tossed out. They are counted and that information is good information for parties running for government to have. It shows them a better sense of the communities they鈥檙e serving.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 However, it does seem odd to me that with polls being so secretive that you have to make this show in public as it were by either saying, 鈥淚 decline,鈥� or by handing the empty ballot back to the deputy returning officer鈥� it would almost make more sense to have a 鈥淣one of the above鈥� option.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Upon further investigation, however, federally this isn鈥檛 law.聽 In fact, across Canada only Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta provincially allow you to 鈥渄ecline your ballot鈥� in this fashion.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Interestingly Russia used to have something similar and in 2004 President Putin had 70 percent voter support, while their option of 鈥淎gainst All鈥� took second place in the standings! In 2006 Russia abolished this option, but it鈥檚 quite the interesting statement that a society can make.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In an article from the Ottawa Citizen in 2015, then NDP Democratic reform critic Craig Scott, was quoted as saying, 鈥淚t clearly is a mechanism for combining a message of being an engaged citizen (willing to come out to vote) while also saying no candidate, and/or their party, has the citizen鈥檚 support in a particular election.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Over 30 years ago two private members鈥� bills had attempted to garner the support to pass the ability to 鈥渄ecline your ballot,鈥� but neither of them were passed.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I understand it鈥檚 not a priority鈥� but I honestly wouldn鈥檛 mind seeing that option on a ballot.
