The first round of the French elections and the by-election in the constituency of Marie-Victorin bring to the fore the increasingly important issue of disappointing turnout.
Our voting system and that of the French unfortunately do not take abstentions and canceled votes into account, thereby ignoring a large portion of the electorate.
Who is silent consents ?
When someone tells us that they don’t vote, we often tend to respond with a quip like “If you don’t vote, you won’t be able to cry! »
But what should we answer to those who go to the polls to cancel their vote? They vote, but refuse to give their vote to any of the options proposed.
In France, we talk a lot about the “blank vote” which consists in not voting for anyone. If we combined the blank vote, the annulled votes and the abstentions, we would most likely have a sufficient number of votes to “elect” a government.
In the 2018 general election in Quebec, voter turnout was 66%. It is therefore nearly 33% of eligible voters who stayed at home.
Think about it! There are more “non-votes” than votes for the winner of the last election. This is an alarming finding that should not be taken lightly.
A silence to listen to
Before even thinking about reforming our voting system, elected officials have a duty to approach those who no longer trust the system to hear them, try to understand them and convey their message to the National Assembly.
Those who don’t vote and those who have lost confidence are not simply anti-everything. It would be far too easy.
Our disillusioned and cynical fellow citizens may be harsh on elected officials, but their disappointment should push us to do better.
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com