Do you endorse strategic voting?

I vote Liberal,but the polls here in Saskatchewan put them in a distant third. If the NDP and Cons keep neck and neck,I'll probably vote NDP. I don't like it,but for the first time in my life it seems prudent.

My riding is currently faux Con and my intent is to vote for whichever party candidate has the greatest chance of defeating the faux Cons and that happens to be NDP. If it were the Liberals, I would be voting for them.

Voting one's heart is a luxury at times, imo, and much as I would like to always do that, as long as the faux Cons are around and are close to getting the numbers needed to form the government, I will vote strategically to keep them out.

And may I add that I am envious the NDP are so close to winning in your riding!

faux Cons were called Reform. The current MP is not running again plus the NDP candidate that almost beat him last election is more well-known while the new faux Con candidate isn't so it sure looks good this time!

You've given a compelling argument against voting, not much of an argument for 'strategic voting'

A strategic vote implies you want something in compensation for voting against conviction?

I know...it's hard to figure out why the election is so low key and so far pointless.

(Did I read this right; The Liberals want to ban handguns?!??...hard to tell the 'law and order' party from the 'tough on crime' faction...I am confused)

Like a million times more.

...From the Liberal...er Toronto Star no less:




http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1134038830093&call_pageid=970599109774&col=Columnist969907619599

to see how crazy you are. A simple test, with just one question: "Do you want to buy a handgun?" If you answer yes, then you fail the sanity test.

You betcha.

My reasons for choosing whom I vote for are my reasons alone. As are those of anyone who disagrees with me.

Live and let live.

Last election, out of fear of the 'right', I voted Liberal for the first time. Since we lost some long serving NDP members from Saskatchewan, I suspect others voted like I did. Not this time....

It may be too early to tell, but I'm thinking that Harper hasn't impressed the 'soft Tory voter' out here in the heartland. A strong NDP campaign could topple the Liberals. Jack Layton seems like a pretty good guy. We hardly notice that he's from On.:7

but I do favour a proportional representative system of democracy.

The number of seats obtained by each party should be directly proportional to the percentage of the vote, with maybe a minimum requirement of 2% to avoid the fringe elements taking up space in the house. I would also support an elected senate over patrionage appointment. To bad Mulroney never dealt with patrionage after winnign the 1984 election on that issue.

It's funny (not) how policies change when a party gets into power. The elected party is never likely to initiate chance on a grand scale.

I would prefer to vote directly for the leader of party and to vote for regional representation separately. Similar to the Dutch system with which I'm somewhat familiar, each party could submit a lists of potential members of parliament similar to ensure regional representation.