Like the title says, it’s election day. And if you haven’t voted in one of those crazy advance polls, you better get out there and cast your ballot as soon as possible.
I know you’ve probably heard this a million times already but I’m going to mention it again: Voting in a municipal election actually matters. I mean, it really, really matters.
Turnouts — even in a high profile election like this one — are usually much lower than they are at the federal and provincial levels. And wards have small populations compared to ridings. That gives your vote way more clout, proportionally speaking.
Plus, you get to vote twice. Once for your councillor and once for mayor. That’s two bodies on council you hold sway over. Use that power! Abuse that power! Vote for someone awesome!
Also, based on that poll that came out last week — the one no one wants to talk about when I bring it up socially — the situation going into election day is pretty much the worst imaginable for people wanting to see a dramatic change in the mayor’s office.* If that poll is to be believed, Fougere has a 13 point lead and Donnelly and Okochi are evenly splitting a portion of the vote that, if it went to just one candidate, would seal the election for a challenger.
Ultimately though, the most important thing on election day will be which candidates can motivate their supporters to get out to vote. With the low turnouts you typically see at the municipal level, good organizing can confound any polling.
Anyway, if you’re unsure where exactly to cast your ballot, you should first check out prairie dog‘s Ward Map of Regina because it was drawn by Dakota McFadzean and is gorgeous. You can also go to the City of Regina’s “Where Do I Vote?” page to find out which polling station you should go to.
And if you still need to learn about the candidates, we have a wealth of information about them right here on the Dog Blog. You can check out all of the candidate profiles we’ve put together based on the answers they gave to our Candidate Questionnaire.
Additionally, on the mayoral front, we have short audio interviews with all nine of the candidates. Listen to them here.
And if you’re not happy with any of the candidates for mayor and are looking for a name you can just write-in, we have responses to our Candidate Questionnaire sent in by readers of the Dog Blog. Brent Bradley, Baby with a Blowtorch, The [Faux] Fouge, Mrs Dawg and Princess Fiona are all worthy mayoral contenders and deserving of some election day love. Ignore the fact that a vote for them is basically a spoiled ballot.
And if you’re voting for Mayor of the Sea in one of Regina’s many marine wards, you will certainly have to check out The Palinode’s candidate profile.
Lastly, you can check out all our 2012 City Election coverage, which includes essays, analysis, podcasts and all the usual prairie dog shenanigans — the kind of shenanigans that gets us hectored by mayors. But that’s okay, we can handle the hectoring, because it’s your hearts we’re trying to win.
Not council’s.
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FOOTNOTE
* Personally — thanks for asking — I’m just wanting to see a big turnout at the polls and an interesting result.
No, actually, if I’m to be completely honest, as a city hall reporter, my next four years will be best served by a Novak win. The stories will basically write themselves. I’ll be run ragged transcribing all the crazy shit that comes out of his mouth. (You know exactly what I’m talking about, Chad.) If he gets in, when you think about the kind of lunacy I’d have to write about, I could win a Governor General’s Award for journalism. Or for comedy. Or for monster trucks.
Do they give out Governor General’s Awards for monster trucks? They should.
