In a recent CBC radio interview, students were asked about voting in the upcoming federal election. A number of them were not at all keen.

They gave several reasons. First, they said that the political contenders were not going to help students. They were looking for tuition assistance or reduction. Second, students felt that their single vote would not make a real difference.

These students were on to something.

Many need financial help to get through school and political parties need to make education as accessible as possible. Also, it is of course true that one vote does not change the world.

I can think of more reasons to drop out of the voting habit. Attack ads for one. Political parties of all kinds make exaggerated negative claims about their opponents. Attack ads are designed to make us vote on the basis of an emotion such as fear or anger. They mock the notion of reasoned participation. They can motivate us to scoff at the alleged meanness of the current P. M. or at his puffin poop-wearing rival.

This might cause us to vote one way or another, but it also encourages ridicule and cynicism, which do nothing to help us make responsible voting choices.

So why not drop out of the voting game? Our single vote hardly matters. The candidates don't pay enough attention to us. And, besides, they themselves encourage cynicism.

However, we should consider that we need to look out for each other as neighbours do. When this is applied to our participation, or the lack of it, in the political arena, a few practical things emerge.

First, yes, one vote does not usually change the world, but this in itself is a good thing. It means that no one person can dictate political change. It is a hedge against dictatorship or the rule of a few. It also means that as a voting community, we count on everyone to work together to find the best way ahead.

Voting may not be the most engaging way or the most exciting. Nevertheless it is a real - though modest - way for all people to participate. Having only one vote among millions may be a merely modest way of participating in elections, but at least this modest way is available to every citizen. One person - one vote is the best method we have of making leaders accountable to a body of wisdom greater than their own. The people count. Each voter might not count for a whole lot, but each one counts for something, and together, we count for a great deal.

However, some do not feel that this is enough involvement. For those of us who feel that way, there are some great possibilities. Political involvement is one of them. Writing in this paper is another.

In the end, I think that voting is not so much about power, or influence, or exactly how much one vote counts. It is about being a neighbour to each other. It's a way of working together to be the best community we can be. I would even say that God calls everyone to participate neighbour-to-neighbour in whatever governing arrangement we have. We need to vote, not mainly as a matter of self-interest or power. It is one modest, but important, way for neighbours to try to build a society that is fair and just for all.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.