Pitting My Wife (We vote today)

The BBQ Pit
#1

So this morning I ask my wife who never has much to say politically, who she’s going to vote for. " NDP " she responds.

That was the wrong thing to say. She’s been listening to my eldest daughter who manages a day care centre and won’t stand in her way. I realize I have to accept her choice, and being the conservative environmentalist that I am, I see an opportunity to reduce both our carbon footprints. It will be at least a six mile trip.

“Well let’s both of us refrain from voting today” I say. After all in our riding it will only be NDP or Conservative (my choice). She gives me the hairy eyeball.

I’m thinking of not taking her with me. Why should I ? I’ll feel so stupid going on an exercise merely to cancel the vote of my passenger. But then she’ll take her own vehicle and release even more carbon into the atmosphere, and spend our money on a dwindling resource.

As a good citizen I’ll have to take her.

#2

So you’re pissed someone is voting a different way from you and that if you don’t take them to the polling place, they’ll just use their own car and release (a tiny bit) more carbon into the air? And because of these two things, you’re being pouty?

Good god man, run, run away, this won’t end well.

#3

:confused: Is the vote of either one of you likely to be statistically significant? If you were willing to take a six-mile car trip to cast your own statistically useless vote, why should it bother you to take along your wife to cast her own statistically useless vote as well?

Alternatively: Can you ride a bicycle? Are there any decent bikeable roads to your polling place? A six-mile trip on a bike is pretty doable, and voila, no carbon emissions!

#4

Seems like a pretty reasonable pitting when you think about it objectively.

#5

Are you only voting for one thing in your riding? If not, you may not cancel out completely.

#6

Though there’s been no polling in our riding that I’m aware of, the last few federal elections have been very close with the NDP steadily gaining .

I haven’t rode a bicycle in years, and to get to the polling station will require cycling on the side of a highway in waning daylight. As for carbon emissions, there would be an increase as I would be exhaling carbon dioxide laboriously.

#7

We keep things simple in Canada. We are voting for a representative in the Canadian parliament who has tied his wagon to his party and leader hopefull.

Just one vote.

#8

Eh. Feeling stupid is outweighed by being a good citizen. Besides, while going together may be silly, going seperately seems a little jerkish.

#9

You’re just canceling out her vote whether you drive her there or not.

#10

Wow. Are you going to take your ball and go home, too?

#11

I take this back. If the object of the exercise is to reduce your carbon footprint, but you know she’ll go anyway if you don’t drive her, you’re just being petty if you refuse to take her.

Obviously, so is she, but two wrongs don’t make a right, etc.

#12

I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to how politics work up there, but aren’t there usually more then two parties running for each seat. And so if you each vote for your respective parties, won’t you still be helping both parties defeat whatever third or fourth parties might also be running.

So I’m not sure your vote canceling scheme works.

#13

If you’re worried about carbon footprint/global warming, I’d say that neither of you should vote (NDP/Conservative.) A carbon tax is a much better way of getting the ball rolling on reducing emissions. The Conservative “cap and trade” is thought by many environmentalists to be unwieldy, unworkable, and prone to abuse.

Try voting Liberal or Green if you want to make a difference.

(There - that’ll get things rolling!)

#14

You trying to tell us you don’t breathe when you drive? :stuck_out_tongue:

Seriously, it actually has been investigated whether the increased effort involved in bicycling provides a net increase in carbon emissions, compared to driving or using mass transit. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that bicycling is far less carbon-intensive than driving, no matter how heavily you puff and pant.

The points about poor biking conditions on your route to the polling place and unreliable biking ability do sound like deal-breakers, though.

#15

I don’t buy that “vote canceling” thing. Your vote is a valid vote, and her vote is a valid vote. If you vote for opposing candidates, so be it. Each vote counts, the same as if you voted for a different candidate than some guy across town did. Just because you live in the same house doesn’t change the fact that you vote, and she votes.

#16

As you seem to be having a problem putting my pitting in perspective, let me make it simple for you. It makes no sense at all for two people who have the opportunity to affect the outcome of the election at home to embark on an effort to produce exactly the same outcome by driving to the polling station.

You may call me petty but not my wife. she merely cherishes her right to vote.

#17

So? My vote will be canceled out by someone else, that’s not going to stop me from voting.

Good for her. People have fought and died for that right.

#18

You’re very petty. And the way you keep harping on it, kind of an ass hole.

Wanting to vote is a good thing.

#19

Correct, although polls show that the particular riding in which Dutchman and his wife are voting is a close vote between the Conservatives and the NDP. The others may be too far back to catch up.

Anyway, doesn’t one vote on their own conscience, and not based upon who anyone else votes for? If I thought my candidate was way too far out of it, I wouldn’t care. If my ideals and philosophies were aligned with that candidate or party then why do I even care who anyone else votes for?

I didn’t ask my wife this morning who she was voting for, even when she told me she hadn’t made up her mind yet. It’s, quite frankly, not my business who she votes for: and vice versa.

#20

That’s not the point. Unless you are able to agree with that someone else who will vote opposite to you that you’ll cancel each other, the only choice you have is to vote if you want to make a difference.

In my case I saw an opportunity to exercise my franchise without the help of the government or Elections Canada.