Apparently not.
Some democracy-challenged Canadians apparently require "special ballots".
The report quotes an Elections Canada official, who said the university has held special ballots before without issue. Special ballots are different than advance polls. They are set up as a way of facilitating the voting process for groups that are often under-represented on voting day, such as students and aboriginals.
Are students and aboriginals intrinsically less able to exercise their right to vote than others? Or just too indifferent or lazy?
How about snowbirds? We're (sensibly) down in the USA; we're under-represented -- and we're as indifferent and lazy as the best of 'em. Shouldn't we have equal access to "special ballots"? Elections Canada could set them up in local Wal Marts for us. Better still, I would like one set up for me at the local Julio G's Mexican Restaurant at Tatum and Cactus in Phoenix, where we go for double-stamp Monday -- otherwise, I will be under-represented on voting day, and that will be a loss for Canadian democracy.
Do you think that could that be arranged, Elections Canada? If you set up between 11 am. and 1 pm., you'll catch me, and Julio's will probably spring for chips and salsa.
Ignatieff is making a big deal about a Conservative objection to special ballots and is equating special-access to special balloting with Canadian "democracy".
Sounds more like the promotion of democratic inequality based on selective state-sponsored group-identity politics to me.
The lazy and indifferent should be equal across Canada, from sea-to-glorious-sea, from coast-to-coast-to-coast-to, er border, and even down into the US.
And that's the way the lazy and indifferent Canadian Ball bounces.
Update: A link to
Elections Canada Special Ballots
Image via Wikipedia
