Make your opinion heard!

I was sitting in a training session today for working at the polls on Monday and learned many valuable lessons. Hold onto your seats:

1. If you come into the polls eat beforehand. Ballots don't make good munching snacks.
2. Use the ballots provided and don't try to substitute your own version into them. There are many ways that they insure accuracy and it won't do you any good.
3. If you are a senior living in a retirement community, check before you brave the cold and ice. There is probably a voting centre in your building. Handy dandy!
4. Don't wear your political t-shirt, bring in a newspaper with a candidate's picture on it or try to sing a political party's theme song (do Canadian politics employ something like this?... I'm sure that the Americans do!). You'll have to turn your tee inside out, recycle your newspaper and have Simon Cowell give you a phone call to boo your singing!
5. You can enjoy a cell phone free environment when you go to vote... maybe you'll want to show up at the polls just for an environment free of annoying cell phone jangles.

All of my wisdom aside, I had a moment during the training when I was reminiscing of my trip to Africa this past summer. I was thinking about how people were so grateful that there were UN peacekeepers that oversaw their first democratic election in 15 years. (In the capital, we saw the UN presence everywhere to insure that the election's results were lived out.) Aside from all the corrupt practices, people were hopeful that their voices were heard for the first time in a decade and a half. I kept on thinking that we take it for granted and that 70% of our population can't be bothered to go vote.

Go vote! Make your opinion heard. Most of the time, no one is asking or if they politely ask, they are not listening anyways. So many people are dying for their voice to be heard... take the few minutes to do so. That way when the government does not do exactly what you want, you'll know that you took the time to be involved!