The notion that Stephen Harper’s Conservatives could be defeated with strategic voting was tried in the 2008 with little effect, despite Facebook campaigns urging voters to coalesce behind the Liberal, Green or New Democrat best positioned to win in each riding.
A Citizen analysis after the election showed that non-Tory votes were in fact more diffuse in 2008 than in 2006. Strategic voting just didn’t work.
But the effort is under way once again, via the website Catch 22.
The site’s hit list includes two ridings in the National Capital Region: Ottawa – Orleans and Ottawa West – Nepean, where the combined NDP and Liberal vote would have bested Tories Royal Galipeau and John Baird respectively.
Baird, incidentally, held a press conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to allege that the withdrawal of an NDP candidate in the Southern Ontario riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London was a further example of the opposition coalition menace.
For people not voting Conservative, polls will give the impression that there is no hope.
GO VOTE ANYWAY!
Staying at home only exacerbates the problem.
But VOTE SMART.
Inform yourselves and vote for the candidate most likely to to topple the Conservative candidate in your area; the alternatives are similar enough that it won’t hurt if it’s not your #1 choice. Not as much as the worst case scneraio, anyway oO
Now get out there and make a difference! 🙂