Why not vote twice next week?

For students of politics, there will be plenty of interesting questions to address about the federal campaign of 2008 when the results are known. Some are answered early and easily; others require closer, more extended inquiry.

To what extent do the results indicate a continuing regionalization of party support? Has party support become more sub-regional? Has the urban-rural division of party support become central in Canadian electoral politics? To what extent did the vote of Canadian women determine the outcome? To what extent did the platforms of the parties effectively address the other salient demographic features of the electorate? Which voices and interests didn't get heard in the current campaign? Which voices and interests got too much attention?

How much strategic voting and vote switching actually took place and in how many ridings did such voting make a difference? How important was the Internet to the outcome? Did the availability of daily polling results alter the preferences of Canadians? To what extent has Canadian political debate become nastier, and to what effect? To what extent, if any, did the pattern of the American campaign alter the pattern of our own? To what extent did unanticipated events alter the outcome?

Which party's campaign was better planned? Which peaked too early, which too late, which hardly at all? What was the effect of the televised debates on voter choice? To what extent did the press affect the outcome of the vote? To what extent, more specifically, did different national newspapers' and television stations' increasingly clear political commitments alter our decisions as citizens?

Were there changes in the rhetoric of campaigning and, if so, what was the emergent rhetoric? Which symbols in the campaign resonated most effectively and what does this reveal about us as Canadians at this time in our history? Were the symbols and rhetoric of fear or hope most effective?

Which moves had greatest effect?

Which moves in the chess board game of the campaign had the greatest effect on the outcome? Was there a turning or a tipping point? What do these tell us about our political culture? To what extent does the relative success of these moves change the picture we have of ourselves as a nation or as nations within Canada?

How well did the various parties recruit women candidates to winnable ridings? Which party appealed most effectively to Aboriginal and new Canadians? Which party campaign adopted a strategy of division, which an appeal across division (to our common interests and features), and which strategy was most effective this time? What does this difference tell us about emergent qualities in the "logic of our sociality"?

To what extent did "leadership" determine the outcome, if at all, and which conception of leadership was at work? How was party competition played out this time; who was engaging whom in what region, sub-region, or other demographic sub-community, and on what basis? To what extent did the electoral system advantage parties, and which parties were advantaged this time?

What was the degree of involvement of young citizens? Did the somewhat concentrated vote of post-secondary students alter the vote in any/many ridings? To what extent was the campaign sufficient in giving citizens a clear read of what was at stake in the contest, about what each party recommend be done about the issues of the day and how each party might be reasonably presumed able to achieve its recommendations?

Perhaps the most important question will be this: was the current multi-party system of party competition effective in securing representative democracy? Watching the returns come in on Oct. 14 should prove to be the highlight of the fall television season.

On the municipal stage

Also next week, on the municipal stage, we have one of the best opportunities to make our votes count in advancing the quality of our lives.

It always surprises me that folks don't exercise their vote where one single vote is most likely to make a difference. We have a chance this week to elect more women to government and we have no end of committed citizens willing to take on the challenging and rewarding tasks of local decision-making.

We can well serve our communities and our own best interests in upcoming local elections, so save some time, thought, and energy for that event as well, eh?