Our American Friends

When I was a kid America was great. My family was mostly made up of Anglophiles but still as I kid I knew America was GREAT. The land of spray cheese and the Electric Company and all manner of technology. The inventor of watermelon flavoured bubble gum and Lollipop bars I could walk 'across the line' to buy in Point Roberts.

When I was an adult in 2001 I did my Masters degree practicum in the UK. I was relieved. Ahhhh, this is more like it. Europe. North America suddenly seemed to be the New Old world. Canada fine. US not so great.

Today. Well, I might have things to covet across the line more often and again.

Turnout

I know everyone thinks that having three elections in four years can turn folks off but... I was a scrutineer yesterday and a few times I was sorta, WTF?

Today it irks me. Did we have the lowest turnout ever? Or did the system turn folks away? There were a few things but mostly I am starting to believe that the hasty new id rules indeed might have had an impact. Staffing, hours and rules about registrations at the poll might have played as much a part as voter apathy.

Great. Soon we'll have to run election observer exchanges with the DRC?

Results are in

My mother grew up in a small Alberta town. A little Ukrainian burg where English was the second language. When her younger brother got a fancy gov't job the RCMP did the rounds to check him out. It is a tale, still, that day the men from the Gouvermendt came round to ask about Vladmir, no matter that he'd changed his name to something much more Anglo by then.

As many a Canadian knows, men from the Gouvermendt are not really to be engaged. The ones in power are to be equally respected, suspected and feared. Those on my Baba's side lived in Canada long enough to know men interred for their former citizenship in nation's disdained and fled. On my papa's side the memories of imperialist terrors were as fresh as the day a sister might be attacked or a big brother led to the gulag gates.

On my paternal side I am lucky to have a connect with the right to representation and to represent. A tradition -- in my lifetime -- of opportunity; to be heard and to participate. I am glad that the alchemy came to me that I could work on this campaign.


I stood tonight in a musty elementary school gymnasium listening to a friend's name be called out most often, ballot after ballot. A man who once carried a box of my underwear has been elected!! A member of the family who were the first to visit us as new parents is now a member of parliament!!!! Believe it or not as of tonight we can say one of those men in the Gouvermendt is a friend of ours. That's something.

Vote

Last week I was irritating people on the phone asking about support for a local candidate. One call was remarkable. It was a conversation I had with a voter who wasn't impressed with the campaign website. I won't go into deep detail but suffice it to say she was the most articulate of the many many people who gave me the impression they were doing the majority of their final decision making based on reading candidates websites. Seriously? You gotta know I loves me some internet but holy!!! Those candidates better get it together. Online electioneering is, so far, a pretty analog race. (Still, there maybe hope.)

Today I was out on the streets in the rain, workin' the election. Haulin' my partisan ass up a few stairs, speakin' up and out for my favorite candidate, but get this... I don't entirely care who you vote for, I don't really even care how you decide. But, I do care if you vote.

Do it people! Let's see how this turns out.

Manning the Phones

Tonight I was out manning the phone lines for a local Candidate. My apologies to anyone I annoyed with my brief queries. Hello... I am ... Can we.. support? thank you ... goodnight.

It's a pretty easy gig. 'Cept with some ladies. I sit and stare at those pages that list two inhabitants. I might see one response next to the man of the house, not supporting or 'won't say'. The next call to make is to the lady of the house. But I hesitate oft times. Do I call?? They always encourage you to call the numbers you're comfortable calling. The best thing for the candidate is an easy-going canvasser. With the ladies I'm not always so easy going. Too many times I've been cut of by a growly male voice declaring "WE are" or "WE are NOT" supporting.. blah blah, slam!!

So I don't call. But is there such a thing as "we are" voting? That's never been the case for my spouse and me so it's pretty hard to swallow.

A little tiny barrier, as I see it, to the franchise; but still somehow profound. I hate to let the women-folk down, m'self.