Voting good, but informed voting necessary

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/09/2019 (2194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To the voters who plan to park their X with the PCs because Brian Pallister doesn’t take guff from anyone, which these voters consider a positive trait that reminds them of themselves…

To those who aim to vote NDP because it would be cool to have a premier with a ponytail who used to be a rapper…

To those who intend to vote Liberal but have done so little research they don’t know whether Dougald is the leader’s first name or surname…

To those who expect to vote for the Green party because a friend of a friend has met James Beddome and says he seemed like a nice guy…

To such voters, we suggest that perhaps, in the best interest of democracy, they should dig a bit deeper before heading to the polls on Tuesday.

Manitoba is a province that takes its politics seriously. Many people (most people, I hope) are well-informed about the candidates who want to form the next government. But we have all encountered people who vote even though they don’t put in the time or effort to vote knowledgeably, an ignorance that campaign strategists exploit.

It’s common at this stage of the election cycle to hear slogans that remind Manitobans voting is an important civic privilege. That’s true, as far as it goes. But the “get out and vote” sentiment should be expanded to “inform yourself, then get out and vote.”

People study up on matters that are important to them. For example, before spending lots of money on a vehicle, most people research the manufacturers’ claims and the vehicle’s history of performance. We don’t want to get stuck with a lemon, which should be equally true when we choose political representatives.

Our vacations are another example. Most of us wouldn’t book an exotic vacation without investigating what the place has to offer, and we’re wary of hyped-up promises from holiday destinations that overpromise. We know that when it seems too good to be true, it usually is, a common-sense discrimination we should also apply to political promises.

Choosing the next government of Manitoba is at least as important as choosing our next car or our next vacation, and warrants as much research.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to get the straight goods on issues and the candidates.

Modern political campaigns pay special attention to people who vote on gut feelings, who put their intuitive inclinations ahead of a reasoned appraisal of party platforms. These voters can be wooed with images, not issues.

In the 2015 federal campaign, I overheard a woman summing up her decision to vote Liberal: “Stephen Harper seems stiff and awkward, Justin has a great smile and such dreamy eyes.” People who vote for style over substance are ripe for the manipulation of campaign professionals.

To attract the voters who are swayed by images, candidates are trained to be performers. They take off their tie and roll up their shirt sleeves as they invite the media to cover their press conference in an everyday location, such as a coffee shop, that shows the candidate relates well to ordinary people. They learn to work the rooms with a constant smile, charming individuals with firm handshakes with several seconds of eye-to-eye contact.

The performers are also coached to stick to talking points and speak in sound bites that feature memorable slogans created by campaign strategists to sell the candidate with the same flashy shallowness that TV commercials sell pop or cereal.

But what about the issues?

Reliable information about the issues is out there, but it requires effort to see through unrealistic promises and slippery spins. Modern political consultants try to control the narrative by concocting their version of the issues. This version is then circulated through paid advertisements and, increasingly, social media, trying to avoid journalists who ask hard-hitting questions.

It’s unfortunate, but true, that an effective way to secure voters who vote intuitively is to go negative and besmirch opposing candidates. The PCs have used targeted advertising and online videos that warn about NDP Leader Wab Kinew’s past conviction for assaulting a taxi driver and allegations he abused a former partner. The NDP produced two advertisements that end with a woman appearing to call Pallister an “ass.”

The reason campaign strategists stoop so low is that such techniques work. They win over undecided voters who make their decision with feelings instead of reason, whose ballots are cast with their heart instead of their head.

The power to raise the bar of political campaigns lies with voters. When we demand substance over style, when we weigh political promises with the same scrutiny that we regard a sale pitch to invest our personal money in a business opportunity, the parties will focus more on issues and less on image.

Until then, an option is to abstain from voting. Someone who votes in ignorance can negate the vote of someone who did the homework necessary to choose wisely.

To be clear, the first choice is always to get well informed and vote. But if we’re unable or unwilling to educate ourselves about the issues, the responsible choice on Tuesday might be to stay away from the polling station.

Carl DeGurse is a member of the Free Press editorial board.

carl.degurse@freepress.mb.ca