A flag on politicians’ play

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/09/2011 (5123 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ADVANCE polls opened this weekend for voters who know who they want to vote for. On Sunday, a Free Press reporter and photographer visited three polling stations in three different city ridings — Elmwood, Concordia and River East. The stations were manned but there were no voters seen at the polls. At one polling station on Kimberley Avenue, voters cheering a kids’ football game across the street were happy to talk.

They shared opinions of debates in the campaign, including the leaders debate last week; their skepticism of political promises and their annoyance with a personal tone of insults politicians level at each other.

With a week to go in the campaign, several said they know who they’ll vote for. A couple had already voted. Some said the debates offered nothing to help them decide whose name to tick off on the ballot.

Polling stations are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 24 to Oct. 1. Sunday stations were open noon to 6 p.m.

Election day is Oct. 4.

“I listened to the debates and it’s just promises. You hear the same thing over and over again. There’s too much, they get too personal; throwing mud, throwing insults, It’s not the time or the place.”

— Ryan Carlson

“I only vote for Jim Rondeau (NDP-MLA Assiniboia). He’s the only one I see out in our community. He goes to everything at the school. He brought my kids Freezies to the house.”

— Natasha Henning

“I voted today. I vote for the party and I’ve voted basically the same way for the past 20 years. My mind’s made up. I watched the first couple (of debates) but I didn’t catch the fourth one. The mudslinging started early. It’s a bit of an irritant and it’s getting too close to American-style electioneering.”

— Brian Babiuk

“The excitement is the day of the election.

Given the fact there are no contentious issues, I would say, it’s not a lacklustre campaign… but I believe you won’t see very much change.”

— Alix Jean-Paul

“I heard them on the radio (the leaders debate). I like the way the Conservatives would extend the child tax. I’m going to go (to the advance polls.) It’s just easier. And more convenient.”

— Lori Schellenberg

“I’m sick of the backstabbing and name-calling. They’re doing nothing. If I had a candidate in the Green party to vote for, yeh, but I don’t think there’s one running for the Green party in Transcona.”

— Eileen Larkins

“We read about it (the leaders debate) in the Free Press but we need more time to think about it.”

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— Ken Larkins

“I’m going to read it all this weekend, all the campaign literature that’s been dropped off. We’ve been keeping it all. And I read the websites. It (advance poll) is right across the street from my house so that makes it easy and convenient.”

— Kelly Crerar