Student Vote Reflection

                As we all grow up to the age of 18, the right to vote will become available to us. Even before that, we could vote in Student Vote at our schools. We should all exercise this right because it will decide what our future will be like, but who should we vote for? There are many parties out there with contrasting policies, so based on this you might think that the party you support the most should be the one to vote for. However, there are usually two or three parties who are likely to win, and others that have almost no chance of forming a government. Therefore the party that you should vote for, in my opinion, depends on the specific election that is currently happening.

                Obviously, the party that you vote for should be beneficial to you. This would depend on your income, your job/industry, and the area you live in, as well as the time of the vote. The easiest way to do this is to choose a party platform that supports your situation (or at least doesn’t go against it) and vote for it. This could be any party in the election, ranging from a major party such as the Liberals/NDP or a more minor party such as the Green Party. You may be more supportive of the Conservative or Liberal Party if you live in a middle- to high-income household, or are hired by a corporation or large company. If you are more worried about education, poverty, etc. then you might want to support the NDP. When it comes to voting, the riding that you live in also matters. In some places in BC the Liberals are more popular, while in others more people vote for NDP. This could affect who you vote for, and change the impact of your vote on the riding. If there is a candidate that you know or are familiar with, you might want to vote for them. If they don’t live in the riding they are representing, they may not be as familiar with it. In conclusion, I think that you should vote for the party you like if it is reasonable to do so.

                Let’s say that there is a party platform perfect for you, but you know they have no chance of winning. On the other hand, there is another party that is a major opposition to a party similar to the one you are supporting. This is the case for the 2013 BC Election. A Conservative or Green Party supporter may vote for the Liberal Party or NDP instead, because the Liberals and the NDP are the only parties with a chance of winning the election. The Liberals and the Conservatives are similar enough that Conservative supporters would vote for the Liberals. To vote for the Conservatives would be like voting for the NDP, because you would be taking away a Liberal vote (and therefore giving NDP a bigger chance of winning) and giving the vote to a party that has a tiny chance of forming government. Instead, if they voted for the Liberals, they would help stop the NDP from winning, because the Liberals could win instead. In my opinion voting against a party is a good voting strategy if your party has no chance of winning the election.

                Sometimes people will intentionally spoil a ballot for a protest or for other reasons. They might spoil or destroy someone else’s ballot (which is supporting another party) or interfere with the counting process of votes. This could lead to increasing the voting share of the candidate the person is in favor of, or decreasing the share of a rival. I wouldn’t recommend spoiling ballots because it is technically illegal and does not reflect the country/province/city’s actual opinion of the parties. People also vote for minor parties in the hopes that they will form a minority government or vary the representation in the Legislature. Depending on the situation, I also think that this strategy may not be a good idea. If there is a minority party that you strongly support and a majority party that you strongly oppose, you should vote for a majority party that is similar to your party (unless there isn’t one). If the chances of each party winning are more equal, voting for your party might actually be a better idea, because if they win you will be benefited even more than with voting against a certain party. This could also raise the party’s potential to win in future elections and also draw others’ attention to it for next time.

               For a conclusion, there are many voting strategies that one could use in an election. If you are in favor of a big party, you should vote for them because they reflect your needs. The same goes for if you are supporting a more minor party, but they might have a chance at winning (that is, if all parties have a more equal chance of winning). However, if you are supporting a minority party and there is a majority party that you oppose, you should vote for another majority party that you support. You shouldn’t spoil ballots, because if you are caught doing it, it is illegal and counts as a crime. The next time you vote, choose your voting strategy wisely and always think before you choose.