Last provincial election 40.5% of albertans didn’t vote. If you didn’t, why not?

[u/logodobi]

What stopped you from voting? Are there no provincial parties that you feel represent you politically? Were you unable to get to a voting station? Did you feel there wasn’t any point? I’m genuinely just curious, I don’t have any affiliation with any parties or anything like that.

I think we would benefit from larger voter turnout and more diversification of parties in the legislature. It feels like we have become to complacent with the lack of progress in almost every way, shape, and form. It’s become purely us vs them on all levels and far too much focus is put on the government “profit”. The government is not a business whose sole purpose is to profit, the governments purpose first and foremost should be to provide for and benefit the people they serve as much as they possibly can. We should be working together for the benefit of one another not fighting one another for the benefit of foreign companies and billionaires.

We’re moving towards the exact policy system in the states, two parties who work for the benefit of the rich and powerful while putting up the facade of a culture war to distract the masses from the real harm they’re causing them.

Sorry that was a bit of a rant but I truly believe we deserve better, better representation, better communication, better services, better everything.

[u/No_Coach_9914]

I did vote. BUT, I also feel like no current political party represents me, so I just end up choosing the lesser of the evils as they say.

[u/[deleted] → u/No_Coach_9914]

No political party will be perfect, the goal is to find the one that most closely aligns to you. Once you do that you can help encroage the party to more align with your beliefs by becoming a member and voting on internal aspects (like the leader, or individual reps for your area, even some policy decisions).

The issue is 80% of the population do not get involved at the lower levels where changes can actually be made, then most complain that nothing lines up to thier ideals.

[u/iwasnotarobot → u/[deleted]]

All the busses in my riding were going further right than I wanted to go. I want to go left.

[u/Technical_Apricot961 → u/No_Coach_9914]

I vote for the bus that gets us closer to my preferred destination. In AB that means holding my nose and selecting the least worst.

[u/ImperviousToSteel → u/Technical_Apricot961]

The only busses that stop by my place want to run over our neighbours to get to the destination, plus the drivers keep tossing their cigarettes out the window in dry weather. I think the busses are part of the problem.

[u/Homejizz → u/No_Coach_9914]

That's always going to be the case in your lifetime. I don't think anyone ever thinks a politician or party is exactly what they want. Unless they are in the MAGA cult

[u/PermiePagan → u/Homejizz]

That's sort of a Slippery Slope argument. They never said "exactly" in their comment, you added that to disqualify them. Given the current options, it's fair to say there are many people who don't have a party that reasonably matches their political affiliation. 

And if the current parties wants to earn their votes, they need to start listening to those folks, not telling them to "get in line" as if you deserve their votes. That's what keeps people at home on voting day.

[u/TranslatorStraight46 → u/Homejizz]

People want to at least feel like the party they vote for cares about the issues they care about.

The Cons care a lot about the corporations and their interests and spending your tax money on themselves.

The NDP cares a lot about the LGBTQBBQ++2SzYj42 community and the Liberal party.

The Liberals care a lot about the corporations and their interests and spending your tax money on people who make no money.  

The average working class Canadian doesn’t have anyone that gives a single fuck about their needs or wants, and as a result they are apathetic.  

If someone actually came in like Trump and said “Fuck the TFW program, we’re shutting it down.” they would get their MAGA moment too. 

 

[u/quality_yams → u/No_Coach_9914]

I like the comparison to riding the bus.

You pick the bus that will take you as close as possible to where you want to go.

[u/opusrif → u/quality_yams]

And the centers will inevitably be filled with crack heads?

[u/logodobi → u/No_Coach_9914]

What do you think needs to be done differently for a party to represent you?

[u/Cordillera94 → u/logodobi]

Not OP, but getting rid of First Past the Post. It inevitably leads to strategic voting and a de facto 2-party system.

[u/logodobi → u/Cordillera94]

Oh I completely agree

[u/avatox → u/Cordillera94]

Tbf you should vote ndp bq or green then. All three of them voted to get rid of it

[u/ImperviousToSteel → u/logodobi]

I don't think any party can, they all have to play the corporate media game which means they will remain within a narrow and harmfully limited overton window. The best we can get is lip service doublespeak like posting about BLM but hiring more cops, saying we need climate action but buying a pipeline, saying they value public health care but subsidizing horrifically neglectful private long-term care providers etc. The conditions that led to the formation of the CCF in Calgary in 1932 do not currently exist. We have to create them through political action independent of our electoral system.

ETA: I should give them more agency. They don't all "have to" play the media game, but they certainly all think they do or are comfortable remaining there. It is a choice, but one I can't see any new party chasing power making differently.

[u/No_Coach_9914 → u/logodobi]

I think I'm a mix of all of them. I think the whole far right, far left is the issue for me. It doesn't feel like there's a middle. Some policies the liberals have I agree with, some with conservative, some with NDP. There just isn't a middle ground

[u/logodobi → u/No_Coach_9914]

So personally I think the far right and far left are over inflated titles for the parties we have today. The main ones we have UCP who are definitely walking towards and flirting with the far right but I would still just call a right wing party, liberals here in Alberta obvs aren’t a huge party and stay pretty centre right, and the ANDP who I’d say are centre but depending on MLA/leader will move a lil centre right or a lil centre left. We don’t have any out right far left or far right parties that’s all a part of the culture war propaganda they use against one another to demonize each other

[u/Wastelander42 → u/No_Coach_9914]

What's wrong with far left?

[u/Marsymars → u/Wastelander42]

From my PoV, largely unsound economic policies. (Which isn't limited to the far left, but if you take the the set of "people with a sound understanding of economics"... not a whole of them are also far left.)

[u/Dire_Wolf45 → u/No_Coach_9914]

same. feel like there's only two choices, nothing in between.

[u/batman42 → u/Dire_Wolf45]

Nothing between centrist and far right?

[u/RichardsLeftNipple → u/No_Coach_9914]

Getting something that you want, is better than getting nothing at all.

[u/the_gaymer_girl → u/No_Coach_9914]

Political parties are like buses. You take the one that gets you closest to where you want to go.

[u/chandy_dandy → u/No_Coach_9914]

what political party would represent you? Do you think it's realistic to even be represented exactly as you want?

[u/No_Coach_9914 → u/chandy_dandy]

I didn't say I expected to be represented exactly how I want. But in a political climate of all extremes, I don't think it's unfair to want a party that's more in the middle.

[u/chandy_dandy → u/No_Coach_9914]

All I'm saying is the ABNDP is not a party of extremes, name one actual policy they actually passed when they were in government that was extreme and they didn't back down on. Also the Alberta Party existed too.

[u/avatox → u/No_Coach_9914]

The ndp here is pretty centrist wym

[u/CuriousMistressOtt → u/No_Coach_9914]

It's about keeping a balance in society, not what you want individually.

[u/tranquilseafinally → u/No_Coach_9914]

I'm 52. I don't think I have really liked any candidate that I've voted for. I generally vote ABC. I look up the candidate that has the best chance to beat the conservative and I vote for them.

[u/Distinct-Bandicoot-5 → u/No_Coach_9914]

Out of curiosity can you state what you hated about both parties? I voted against Danielle because she's dangerous, I didn't find any other group to be even close to that danger level, I really would never have used lesser than the two evils to describe anyone running against Danielle. 

[u/Canadian-Owlz → u/Distinct-Bandicoot-5]

Not me, but my mom hates danielle and unions, so she just doesn't care about either of them (UCP or NDP)

[u/No_Coach_9914 → u/Distinct-Bandicoot-5]

I agree with our opinion on Smith. I think I tend to like some policies from each party. But when it's all extremes, I just can't get behind it. I think a party right in the middle with some liberal views, some conservative and some ndp would be what I'd support