Strategic voting gaining popularity

By Alysha Wilson

A new fad has emerged in elections.
It is no longer only about voting for the smaller parties to help them out. Now, it could be about voting for anyone who will keep the Conservative party out of office, or at the very least, prevent them from getting the majority vote. This is commonly referred to as ABC Voting. ABC stands for Anything But Conservative.
“It is not a violation of the [Election] act,” says James Hale, a spokesperson for Elections Canada.
Elections Canada decided to look into vote swapping to make sure it is not illegal. They concluded it is not illegal unless there is material benefit for either party involved.
“Electors should be very careful,” says Hale.
Elections Canada wants people to keep in mind that no one can be certain how the other person will vote, despite the agreement made.
Although some people have been voting this way for years, the Internet has made it possible for people to organize on a much larger scale than before. Vote swapping is also known as pair voting and strategic voting.
Mat Savelli, from Hamilton created the Facebook group titled 'Anti-Harper Vote Swap Canada' on Sept. 10 of this year. He has now registered nearly 9, 000 vote swappers.
“I was expecting maybe if I registered 300 or 400 people, I thought that was a success for sure,” said Savelli in a telephone interview with The Pioneer. “We were very lucky with a lot of media attention and Elections Canada challenging the legalities certainly helped as well.”
It took less than one week for Elections Canada to conclude that swapping votes with people in other ridings is not illegal. Savelli believes Elections Canada knew there was nothing illegal about what people were organizing but conducted the investigation to say they had done something about it as a precautionary measure.
“I actually never heard from Elections Canada throughout the investigation,” said Savelli.
“I didn't know for sure how successful it was going to be only because I know how difficult it can be to engage Canadians about questions like the democratic deficit. I think what has really pulled people in is the anti-Harper element,” said Savelli.
“I have a very strong group of people working beside me,” said Savelli, who is voting from abroad this year as he continues his schooling overseas in England.
Some people have been strategically voting for many years in the best way they know how.
“I feel I don't have a choice,” said Kathy Monroe, a social service worker student from Loyalist College.
Monroe is 46 and has been voting since she turned 18. Monroe has strategically voted every time a Conservative party has been in office. Monroe votes for whichever party is most likely to keep the Conservatives out of office.
“I just figure that one less vote for Harper, that goes to the next closest in the polls would do him damage,” said Monroe.
The Pioneer received several emails from students who strongly believe vote swapping to be a waste of time, and that it has no real impact on the outcome of the election.