Be careful with your ballots

Mail in ballot system - good or bad? I suppose that depends on your point of view. Personally, I'm not all that crazy about it. I actually enjoy going to the polling place, filling out my ballot, and dropping it in the box. I like that I have to make a small effort to actually go and vote. It is a privilege to be able to vote in elections.

When Clarington decided to change to the mail-in format there were a number of people who warned that this may not be the best way to go. The municipality argued that it would increase returns substantially if they made it easier for everyone to vote. Well, in 2003 we had a return of only about 35% of ballots (with mail-in voting). Perhaps if people had been made to travel all the way to a polling station (for most, within a few minutes drive of their home) we would have had an even more pitiful turnout?

The difference here is that one wonders what happened to the 65% of ballots that were not mailed back to the municipality. Today, with the very visible animosity among some of the candidates and all the sign vandalism, the intimidation tactics taken by some - it makes you wonder how many of the discarded ballots could possibly be picked up by an unscrupulous person, filled out and mailed in. I am not accusing any candidates of doing this, but there are some "supporters" out there who it seems will stop at nothing to try to 'help' their candidate to win. Not everyone is as honest as you or me.

There seems to be ample opportunity for this type of ballot stuffing and I seem to remember there were extra ballots in the election 3 years ago that could have changed the outcome for some of the candidates, but I don't believe anything was done about it.

This time around, there are still concerns that have not been addressed to the satisfaction of quite a few people. Although the municipality and clerk's office have tried to address these problems, we still feel there is room for improvement. People are being asked to shred or otherwise destroy ballots "or put them in the garbage, rather than recycling them", Patti Barrie said in a This Week article. That could be a lot of ballots ending up in the garbage.

As well, there have been discussions with Canada Post "and we've been assured that the kits that are addressed to a box are not dropped in the lobby," said Ms. Barrie. Any that aren't addressed to a specific apartment are to be returned to the municipality."

The point isn't only where Canada Post delivers the kits to. I lived in an apartment for quite some time, and I know that people who get "junk mail" or unwanted ballots simply drop them in the lobby when they find them in their box. That is a great place for unscrupulous people to pick up plenty of unmarked ballots. The municipality, to my knowledge, does not check/verify the signatures on the forms, so anyone could be filling those out, couldn't they?

This all begs the question... Just how accurate is our system of mail-in ballot voting in Clarington? There are other areas of concern as well, such as how/where ballots are stored for weeks on end after they begin coming in from voters.

If you care enough to vote, then you care enough to make the effort to vote in person. Internet voting may be the next step, and I'll be in favour of that if it can be made secure. I do not feel that our mail-in system is secure at all.

So, PLEASE... if you are not going to vote, DESTROY your ballot when you receive it. Shred it. Mark it up so as to spoil it. Rip it up. Then put it in the garbage, not the blue box. But please be sure to destroy the ballot, for the sake of the integrity of this election.

The signs are up - the race is on

Candidates signs have been up for just under a week now, and campaigns are getting into full swing. Now is the time to watch the newspapers, blogs and candidates websites for notices of upcoming "Meet & Greet" events, debates and other events where you can meet the candidates and ask questions. Visit campaign offices of mayoral candidates and make it a point to try to meet or even email candidates running in your local ward, for regional council, and for mayor and not only ask questions, but let them know what issues are important to you.

We have a chance to make a difference when it comes time to vote, and we have to live with the results for another 4 years after this, so please take the time to learn all you can about the candidates and to find out where they really stand. Do this by not only asking questions, but by finding out what their past record is if you are looking at an incumbent.

What issues are important to you? Of course quality of life in our community must be an important issue. That ties in with development, transportation, sprawl, accountability and a host of other issues you may find important if you think about it. Please think about it and be proactive in this election.

See "Who is Running in November" for help in knowing who is running in your area and how to contact most of them (those who had the information on the Municipal website as well as additional e-mail or website information is included). For information on who is running a developer-free campaign, if that is an important consideration, which we feel it is, see "Candidate Information".

We'll try to give you more help as time goes on, but for now, just be aware, think about the issues, and try to meet or ask questions of as many of the candidates as possible. Don't be intimidated and don't be afraid to disagree. Listen to what they have to say, and take your time in making a final decision. This matters to all of us who live in Clarington.

Candidates and Issues

Jennifer Stone (Metroland newspapers & durhamregion.com) gives an overview of issues the 5 candidates for Mayor feel are most important to them and/or to the residents of Clarington in her Oct. 3rd article "Mayoral candidates speak to the issues". It's important to know the issues facing Clarington residents and to figure out what the candidates will do about them, so we hope you will take the time to read her article and to ask questions of the candidates. And not only those running for Mayor, but those running for ANY council seat.

It's no surprise that taxes, growth and accountability are the top issues. Taxes are always an issue, and especially when they have been steadily rising over the last few years - at a faster and higher rate than many feel is really necessary. Taxes will always be a sore spot with most residents, but especially when they face the large increases in property tax that some are facing this year.

Growth is always a hot topic for politicians - most of whom seem to feel that the more the better. The faster the better. The bigger the better. In a rural municipality like Clarington, where many have come to escape the "city life", traffic congestion, noise, pollution, etc., seeing what appears to be a developer-friendly council who can't wait to pave over paradise makes us crazy. Intensification within urban boundaries has to occur, but should be done in stages and in a way that will keep our communities user-friendly and safe. Expanding urban boundaries to accommodate the developers without a "need" for more space for development is something that has been done in the past and should be mitigated, and something that should not be allowed to happen in the future. Keeping infrastructure and services in step with development does not mean keeping artificially low development charges or waiving them altogether for certain developments. Clarington is a very desirable place to build, and we feel that there is no reason to keep development charges low to attract developers! As infrastructure ages, it is the residents who must pay for upkeep and replacement through their taxes. The same goes for all the recreation facilities within our communities. Yes, we need them especially for the youth in Clarington. But what about the Total Hockey Museum? Couldn't that money have been possibly better spent on a skateboard facility for Orono, for example? The lack of consultation with the public on some of these things makes people wonder whether our views even register at anytime other than leading up to an election.

Accountability is very important to us as residents of Clarington and as citizens of Canada. That means our politicians are accountable to us for their decisions. That means we are free to ask questions, criticize decisions made by any level of government, including our municipal council, expect to be treated with respect even when we disagree, and have the freedom to complain when we think huge raises in salary and mileage or taxes are not warranted nor deserved. We have the right to complain if we feel we have not been treated fairly or have been treated rudely. If politicians can't take criticism from constituents, then they should not run for public office nor put themselves in the public eye. If they try to shut down free speech or freedom of expression, they should be held accountable for that. We need an open and accessible municipal government and residents need to feel they can speak up when they have an objection or concern about something, rather than feeling afraid to speak.