Federal Elections, again.

It seems I can't get away from the moaning and groaning about the fact that we're embarking on the 5th election of the century, or millennium if you prefer, and we're only into the 11th year (or 12th depending on how you look at it). I realize this is a tad excessive, but this one actually doesn't feel too soon to me. In fact, I was kind of relieved to hear about it. Maybe it's because the opposition parties have been crying wolf since the last one in 2008, and I was convinced we still had another year and a half of federal belly-aching and threat-throwing. Perhaps I was just shocked that Stephen Harper didn't find some other obscure political maneuver hidden under the golden spire of the Library of Parliament, and thereby collectively raising the country's political vocabulary by one (I mean, had any of you ever heard the word 'prorogue' before 2008?).

So, on one hand, I am relieved to hear that something is happening in Ottawa. Anything at this point feels like something. But on the other hand, that means I have to decide who to vote for again. I value my right to vote, and with every election I take part in, I take it a little bit more seriously. However, the decision-making process last federal election was nothing short of painful as I tried to untangle party platforms and predict what would really happen in Ottawa depending on the make-up of the House of Commons. I don't remember exactly, but I don't think I really decided on what I was doing until I was standing behind my cardboard booth, pencil in hand. And I don't remember feeling great about my choice, only that it felt like the lesser evil.

So, this year, as I once again try to untangle party platforms, I think I'm going to add one more serious option to my list of candidates: the spoiled ballot. Although no one will know it's mine, if I choose this option, I want at least someone to know that someone in my riding doesn't like any of the options given. That I no longer understand what, if anything, is happening in the federal government. That none of the issues raised by politicians actually seem like issues worth discussing, or at the very least none have provided realistic solutions that I want to endorse. That I want something altogether different from what I've been witnessing in the previous 4 elections.

But, I don't yet know the candidates in my riding, and perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised. I might like one of them. I may even feel good about marking the box next to his or her name on May 2nd. But then again, pigs might someday fly.