Door-to-door democracy can change the game for election 2015
[ http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/council ... ction-2015 ]
By Dylan Penner | July 15, 2015
EXCERPT:
There's a lot at stake in the upcoming federal election, for our communities and for our collective future. From coast to coast to coast people are coming together to organize so that we can take a different path from the one we've been on the past nine years.
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We can bring about change by getting organized in our communities and we can start with all of us taking the voter pledge right now.
The voter pledge is our commitment to each other to vote in the next election and to get at least two other people to commit to voting too. Even for those of us who already plan on voting, signing the pledge is an important way of leading by example to increase voter turnout.
One of the key things each of us can do for the next election is getting at least two people we know to vote as well. You can take the voter pledge right now by visiting canadians.org/voterpledge or texting "VOTE" to 123411.
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By now you may have seen the math. Harper's majority was won by 6,201 votes across 14 ridings. [ http://rabble.ca/news/2011/05/tallying- ... frustrated ] This means we have the power to change the outcome of the next election by getting organized street by street, door by door. Together by reaching out to voters in our communities we can build a tidal wave of change in October.
That's why every step we take down the streets we'll be canvassing is a step Stephen Harper doesn't want us to take. Every door we knock on in our communities is a door he doesn't want us to knock on. Every person we talk to at the local farmers market, on every patio, at every music festival and BBQ this summer is someone Harper doesn't want us to talk to.
That's why the Harper government has gone out of its way to make voter suppression the law of the land with the so-called "Fair" Elections Act. And that's not a done deal. We're challenging it in court [ http://canadians.org/charter-challenge ] and a ruling from the Ontario Superior Court is anticipated by July 20 on whether to grant an injunction [ http://canadians.org/media/injunction-h ... ctions-act ] that could reinstate the Voter Information Card as valid ID for the 2015 election. [ http://canadians.org/blog/democracy-has-its-day-court ]
Let's ensure our communities go vote for change this fall
The bottom line is Harper wins if people stay home. And that's why increasing voter turnout can change the game by knocking down the doors of Harper's re-election strategy.
And so let's take those steps and knock on those doors, together, to make sure as many of our friends and neighbours go vote in the next election. [ http://canadians.org/election ]
Want to help increase voter turnout in your community? Get in touch and let us know.
[ dpenner@canadians.org ]
Together let's defend and expand democracy before, during, and after the next election.