How do you decide who to vote for?

[Darkre]

I'm curious to see what methods people will use to decide who to vote for in the upcoming election. Will you vote based on The Party Idealogy and Platform, the Party Leaders, the Best Local Candidate for the job or use some other method?

I had planned to vote NDP due to Jack Layton and what I viewed as a maturing NDP election platform which appears to be shifting to the centre. While I was dissapointed in the NDP's performance in the last parliament (I felt they could have had a bigger hand in the direction of policy as they held the swing vote in the house after the last election), I do like some of their policies, particularily their focus on improvements to healthcare as our population ages rapidly. I was hoping that Ignatieff would fall on his face during the campaign and that the NDP could become the official opposition, forcing the Liberals to rethink their direction and to get some fresh blood in to revitalize the party.

Now that the NDP candidate has been declared in my riding I won't be voting NDP. I don't really know who the Liberal candidate is and don't want to vote Liberal anyways as I want to see big changes from that party. Worse still I like and respect the Conservative Candidate. While I do believe the Conservatives are the best people for the job right now I do worry about how they might change if given a majority government and the ability to do as they please.

So now I've shifted from voting for a party on a national level, based on it's leader and some of their policies, to likely voting for the person I feel is the best candidate to represent my area in Ottawa.

How about you?

[coffeeFreak]

I am going to plug my nose, close my eyes and vote Liberal...only because any other choice will contribute to splitting the vote. However when looking at the last election results in the district I live in, the total votes received by all other parties did not surpass those that Colin Mayes received -- so not really sure how much my vote will contribute...

[kristina386]

Personally, it is usually easy to predict who the majority will be. So I vote for a strong second place. That way, they will keep the 1st place winners in line. Nobody's head gets too big and the greatest number of people get representation. Unless, the Green Party is running a close second place. (yeah, like that is ever going to happen)

[WhatThe]

I am going to plug my nose, close my eyes and vote Liberal...only because any other choice will contribute to splitting the vote.

I hate that about our present system. It's not about who's most likely to win but who's best or whose platform is best for the job. We should vote with who best represents our ideals, not the guy/party that has a better chance of winning because it's better than the alternative despite not aligning with your believes.
The First past the post system doesn't offer real representation

[steven lloyd]

I am going to plug my nose, close my eyes and vote Liberal...only because any other choice will contribute to splitting the vote.

I hate that about our present system. It's not about who's most likely to win but who's best or whose platform is best for the job. We should vote with who best represents our ideals, not the guy/party that has a better chance of winning because it's better than the alternative despite not aligning with your beliefs.

I am going to plug my nose, close my eyes and vote Conservative ... only because any other choice presents a very real risk of higher corporate tax rates in a time of fragile economic recovery, and the passing of bills that would amount to erecting “closed for business” signs along our west coast. It is really sad that it has come to this because as much as a Harper majority scares me, the idea of Layton or some Iggyotic fool calling the shots scares me even more.

[Bsuds]

the idea of Layton or some Iggyotic fool calling the shots scares me even more.

Exactly the way I feel. Unfortunately may not get to vote for who we like best in our area and have to vote because of who is the head of the party.

[Woodenhead]

http://voteswap.ca/Main_Page

[flamingfingers]

Who to vote for? Maybe this will help:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on……

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t buy one.
If a liberal doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it’s a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative reads this, he’ll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he’s “offended.”

[wthwyt]

I listen to each of the local candidates trying to get my vote. Listen & watch if they have a bit of their own thinking, or if tow their party lines. Those willing to fight for their communities even if it means possible being a black sheep within their party, those are worth having. Because it was the community that elected them not the party or their leader, unless those voting was looking the leader and not the local candidate. Then you get what asked for.






Then I asked myself if I am willing to vote or not, since have a dislike for all politicians.

[Tacklewasher]

Trouble is, a couple of these are wrong with respect of our current Conservatives

Who to vote for? Maybe this will help:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on……

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.

Sorry. He gets kicked out of the Conservative function

If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.

Unless it offends his religious viewpoint in which case he lobbies hard to get the purple teletubby off the tv (or Howard Stern)

Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church.

and get ostracized by the "real" conservatives

A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it’s a foreign religion, of course!)

[Nebula]

I am going to plug my nose, close my eyes and vote Conservative ...

You feeling okay? You want a reference for a good doctor?

[NAB]

LOL, if you know of a "good doctor" who is taking new patients, please share.

Nab

[steven lloyd]

I am going to plug my nose, close my eyes and vote Conservative ...

You feeling okay?

LOL. As well as can be expected Neb. I think if you’ve read any of my recent posts on this issue you’d see it is not too difficult to understand why I’ve made this decision. As I’ve repeatedly stated, there are many good reasons to fear Stephen Harper and a Conservative majority (and we may end up paying for that). It is simply unfortunate that the reasons to fear giving Iggy or Layton any say in our economic future are even greater (and we would definitely pay for that) and I think that many Canadians are starting to realize that (and the Green and other fringe parties are, of course, irrelevant).

TV.ca News Staff
Date: Mon. Apr. 4 2011 8:09 AM ET

The Conservatives' lead over the Liberals has stretched to 14 points, mostly driven by growth in the West, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of CTV News and The Globe and Mail.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party, has stressed that the economic recovery is still fragile and the focus should remain on reducing the deficit and maintaining stability.

Nanos also said the economy and jobs are also becoming increasingly important to voters. At the beginning of the campaign health care was the leading issue for voters by 11 percentage points.

As of Sunday night's polling, the economy and health care are in a statistical tie as the top issue for voters, he said.

[Tacklewasher]

Lead is back to 9 points today.

We should make bets on what the polls have the gap at. I think I have a random number generator around here somewhere.....

[CJT84]

I vote according to economic policy and whoever is the closest to the libertarian view. It's usually the conservatives but only economically (not libertarian by a long shot but the closest of the main parties), socially they are just as statist as everyone else.