FACE TO FACE: Should lists of voters be published after an election?
Coquitlam Coun. Terry O'Neill is getting a lot of buzz over the trial balloon he's floating to improve voter turnout in civic elections. My friend and former debating partner on this page suggests the city of Coquitlam publish the names of citizens who vote in civic elections, thereby recognizing those who vote and nudging - gently, he says - those who don't.
But whether people choose to vote is their own business and shouldn't be made public. Our efforts to increase voter turnout shouldn't extend to using public embarrassment, threats of sanction, tax credits or free beer for voters (wait, I might support the latter scheme).
My colleague opposite tries to soft-sell the idea, saying, "It's no big deal. It's just like the Sun Run, where a list of participants is congratulated in the paper." But it's not like that at all. The purpose of listing Sun Runners is not to embarrass non-runners into running.
My debating partner also says, "There are already lists of those who voted, produced after elections, we just want to make them public." True, lists of those who voted are submitted after elections but their purpose is to accredit and chronicle the integrity of elections - they are expressly and purposely not publishable.
And if we are willing to encourage people to vote by publishing lists, why not explore electronic inducements to vote?
Perhaps an online voter reminder pop-up offering Starbucks gift cards for those who squeeze in time to vote electronically from their smartphones, between tweeting and texting.
Voting is already easy. Call me old-fashioned but going to your local school for five minutes, showing your face and identification without external inducement or punishment is not too much to ask of a citizenry.
Increasing election turnout is a good discussion for Coquitlam to have and kudos to Coun. O'Neill for stimulating discussion designed to get more people to vote. But we want people to cast considered votes, not votes motivated by getting one's name in the paper, a gold star or avoiding some kind of sanction.
So no lists please, of voters or non-voters. No gold stars or free pizza (wait...). We have to engage people to get them to vote, not bribe or threaten them into it.
The only acceptable inducement to vote is the desire of citizens to exercise their franchise.
Face to Face columnist Jim Nelson is a retired Tri-City teacher and principal who lives in Port Moody. He has contributed a number of columns on education-related issues to The Tri-City News.
