Letter: Incentives to get people to vote
Canadians, almost 50 per cent fail to honour their right to vote. Some say, “well my vote does not count” or some other excuse. Maybe it is time for change.
Proportional voting, where your vote does count. Maybe we could encourage Canadians to vote very simply by issuing a $100 tax rebate slip when voting—apply it to your income tax papers. Why not, the election is already costing between $300-400 million.
If you do are not able to use it as a tax free benefit i.e. you do not pay income tax then you would receive some money for that with your refunds.
Maybe our ballots should have a referendum attached—binding on the new government so Canadians can “feel their vote counting.” Governments are so afraid of referendums—who do the voters think they are making decisions—how dare they think this.
Don’t be afraid to vote—dare to offer politicians a piece of your mind. Please vote for a change to our old system of first past the post—change can be very good for us all. Make politicians remember that they work for us and not the other way around.
Jorgen Hansen, Kelowna