Some unusual election signs encouraging voters to spoil their ballots are popping up in Moncton.
There are a few versions of the sign – one suggests ticking all the boxes in the upcoming federal election while another urges voters to leave their ballots blank.
“I think it’s wrong. They shouldn’t be doing that stuff,” says Moncton voter Richard Lawlor. “Voting is important, especially today in our society. I think they should be made to take them down.”
Rachel LeBlanc says she wants young people to engage in the voting process, not abandon it. She organized an all-candidates debate at Caledonia Regional High School in Hillsborough Wednesday evening to give students a better understanding of how election issues can affect them.
“Take a chance, become involved or find a way,” she says. “This is really, literally, your democracy. It belongs to you.”
Elections Canada says it is aware of the signs, but doesn’t know who is putting them up. So far, the signs have only been spotted in Moncton.
Mario Levesque, a political scientist professor at Mount Allison University, says it’s clear some voters don’t like the options on the table.
He says 31,000 people voted for “none of the above” in the last provincial election in Ontario, and he would like to see that option added to all election ballots.
“I think it is nice to have it finally here in New Brunswick, to be able to encourage people to go out and vote, but to let them know they do have another option out there,” says Levesque.
He also says a feeling of being disconnected from the voting process may be larger than some might think.
“I think it is frustration to a certain extent because people are saying that politicians seem to say one thing, but then do something else once they are elected.”
As for the “Vote Void” or “Vote Blank” signs, neither Elections Canada nor the city plan to remove them.
