Voting advice needed! Help!

[The Chameleon]

So I personally think that the Conservatives getting elected again would be a disaster for the country, if they got a majority it would be "worst case scenario".

So I need you help on how to cast my vote.

Normally I vote for Olivia Chow, the NDP delegate in my riding. She has won in this riding the last 3-4 elections, she is a good person and really fights for my community and has personally answered some of my concerns when I have called her office. I want to vote for her again, but I fear I may be "splitting" the vote and by not voting liberal I am perhaps making it easier for Harper and his "band of retards" to get in again.

So my question is should I hold my nose and vote liberal or should I vote for who I want NDP? Does either choice help or hurt the conservatives?

Edited September 15, 2008 by Guest

[bradm]

How is the Liberal candidate in your riding?

Aloha,

Brad

[Thorgnor]

Keep Chow if she's good for your neighbourhood. It's only a waste if you vote for someone who won't get in simply to back something. Voting NDP in your riding is more likely to give you a positive outcome. A con MP in Toronto would be awful for the community feel of the area not too mention you'd be swimming upstream voting anything but green or NDP there.

[Birdy]

[color:purple]YAY STRATEGIC VOTING!

[d_rawk]

One of the dirty secrets is that in a number of ridings, those voting Liberal to keep out the Conservatives in previous elections have actually served to elect more Conservative MPs by shifting votes from the leading NDP candidate to the Liberal candidate -- allowing the Cons to come up the middle.

In Trinity-Spadina, I would be cautious about getting too cute and not voting my conscience. If anything, I'd say if you are still considering it, get your hands on the local polling data and see where things stand and review with each iteration. But the race there is between the NDP and the Libs, the Cons aren't a factor unless something changes *drastically* this run. The last time the Cons won anything there appears to be 1972, and 1958 before that. And even those were the PCs .. a more palatable party to the urban voter.

Courtesy of CBC and Wikipedia:

2008:

Olivia Chow NDP 28748 46.03% X

Tony Ianno LIB 25067 40.14%

Sam Goldstein CON 5625 9.01%

Thom Chapman GRN 2398 3.84%

2006:

Tony Ianno LIB 23202 43.55% X

Olivia Chow NDP 22397 42.03%

David Watters CON 4605 8.64%

Mark Viitala GRN 2259 4.24%

Unless you think the Cons have something up their sleeve to close that 30% - 40% gap, no reason to lose any sleep about it. A fair voting system would prevent the need to even think about these things, but Canadians don't want one.

[SaggyBalls]

No, d_jango - Canadians are hesitant to change.

They just don't know they want one yet.

[Birdy]

I don't think they ever even understood the question.

[The Chameleon]

Thanks all. I think I will continue to vote NDP as Olivia Chow deserves my vote.

I do not think it will be close in my riding as she is well liked here and besides no one votes conservative hardly at all in cities and Harper has totally disowned us time and again.

And yes strategic voting is not ideal, but facing one more second of Harper embarrassing this country is waaay worse.

I also wish we had another vote directly for PM...

Edited September 15, 2008 by Guest

[Kanada Kev]

Hey Chameleon,

I read your post with interest yesterday. I used to live in that riding and my Mom still does. She threw her support behind Chow during the last elections. My Mom is much more a Liberal in her voting past, but she couldn't stand the incumbent Liberal back-bencher Tony Ianno who had done sweet dick all in Ottawa for 4 terms.

Interesting note, the current Liberal running in your riding is Christine Innes. You know who she is??

Tony Ianno's wife