Strategic Voting

[EdCase]

One thing that surprises me is the number of people I talk to who are convinced they have to cast 8 votes for council members: part of the problem is that they are actively encouraged in this belief by some of the long-time incumbents as this works in their favour. People will cast their vote for the 2 or 3 candidates they really believe in and then fill up the rest of their ballot with names they recognize because they've been there so long.

Remember folks, you can - and should - only vote for those candidates who have impressed you with their ideas and passion, not for those who have just kept the seat warm. If that is only 1 or 2 candidates, so be it.

Right now I am leaning toward 2 incumbents and 2 new candidates, but it is still early days and I will need to hear more detailed positions before making up my mind.

[SimonShaw]

Remember folks, you can - and should - only vote for those candidates who have impressed you with their ideas and passion, not for those who have just kept the seat warm. If that is only 1 or 2 candidates, so be it.

thank you for making this point!

[Lady tehMa]

I will be voting for two of the incumbents, but there are more than a few of the new faces that have impressed me when I have researched them.

[grammafreddy]

I don't think I have, in all my years, filled up all the little boxes with votes. I only vote for the ones I really want to see win. I never vote to fill the seats.

At the moment, I have two incumbents and one possible newcomer. I am still waiting to see who responds to the Backyard Chicken poll as that will have a definite bearing on where my votes go. A negative response is a no vote from me. To my way of thinking, a person who will support backyard chickens is a person who cares about all people of all income levels in Kelowna and not just the upper elite or the highrise development downtown mentality. I have definite ideas about how downtown could and should look and if a candidate doesn't match that or if they are still whining about the CD21 fiasco, they won't get my vote. Most of the candidates are mouthing the CD21 manatra but have not done a lick of research or kicked their brains into gear about why it really wouldn't work or why it failed in the end.

So it's good you raised this issue, Ed. People are their own worst enemy when they think they have to fill all the little boxes - and they split the votes and kill chances for the candidates they really want to see win. Pick the ones you want to win and stop there with the little x's on the ballot.

[EdCase]

So it's good you raised this issue, Ed. People are their own worst enemy when they think they have to fill all the little boxes - and they split the votes and kill chances for the candidates they really want to see win. Pick the ones you want to win and stop there with the little x's on the ballot.

Thanks GF. We will need to keep reminding people about this as they are certainly being told "they are wasting their vote" by those who usually benefit from the fill-in-the-boxes approach.

[EdCase]

FourChange tweeted today that their reason for backing only four candidates is to maximize their chances of being elected - strategic voting.

We all need to pay attention to this and vote only for those candidates we truly believe in: filling in the 8 boxes just because you can may help elect the wrong people.

[Logitack]

my strategic vote will be not to vote for ANY of the ones endorsed by 4change!

[I dunno]

It's funny. Endorsements can have the opposite effect. Not only will I not vote for them, but I might have to reconsider dealing with the people who gave the endorsement. I vote as I see fit.

[maria56]

Four change is trying to act as though they have gone through a 'process' to determine the candidates they're backing but rumour has it, this was decided long before nominations were filed. Gran, Given, and Blanleil were all apparently involved from the group's inception, and Zimmerman was also recruited. I'll be really surprised if these 3 are not 3 of the 4 backed by the group- and they are all spewing the same negativity as Gray and his camp which makes me wonder why four change has not said they are backing him for mayor as well. Although I guess it would look bad if they're supporting Zimmerman and they're unable to explain why the firemen would not support the old chief in partnership with Gray. Gray must be mad they're not supporting him (yet?) though- it's probably pretty much the only group he hasn't alienated himself from with arrogant, ignorant comments- ie. the gay community, the homeless and disenfranchised, social service providers, students, youth, women...

[Captain Awesome]

I think I'll run for council next time around.

[grammafreddy]

I think I'll run for council next time around.

I hope you do, CA. I think you might make a decent councillor. I have never regretted my time as an elected official. It was probably the most valuable and rewarding thing I have ever done in all my years - and certainly the most educational.