Dear Editor,
I was relaxing with a cup of tea listening to CBC on a peaceful Sunday morning , when I was stopped short yet again by a news item. Now I am all riled up, but grateful to have an outlet. The story involved a man in a Maritime riding who was unable to cast an early vote because of insufficient ID. He was well known in the community, and to the electoral officer who was obliged to refuse to allow him to vote. The problem was he had no ID with a street address, and used a post box for mail. He finally produced a gas bill with an address and was able to vote. Imagine the students, the unemployed, the elderly, the "out of the loop" Canadians who will be discouraged, and likely give up their right to vote, particularly in rural areas. It seems to be just another example of an institution, the Electoral office, supposedly created by the current government to ensure fair, accessible, voting capacity for everyone that in fact erects more barriers than assistance . I can't help but wonder what the hidden agenda might be, perhaps to stop the potential voters who might unseat Stephen Harper. There was another news item of a First Nations councillor who called the electoral office near his community requesting a poster of the rules for voters to register and was told he could come in to the office and write down the information. He repeated his request for the poster, presumably paid for by our tax dollars, but was refused , again told to come in and write down the information . This appears to be another example of a hidden agenda, cloaked beneath a governmental agency, that is really designed to stop the very voters who might overturn this Harper interpretation of democracy, looking much more like dictatorship to me.
I personally intend to offer a drive to any individual experiencing difficulties in getting out to vote. I will do this as a private Canadian citizen with a desire to claim my country back. Who you vote for is your choice and privilege. Let me help. Vote.
Denise Freeman,
