I Am Not In The Vein

It could just be me -
I've been coughing and feeling exhausted all week, feels like a relapse of that cold/flu, coming back as bronchitis -
or it's the weird weather -
or just apathy -
but I don't feel like doing an electoral post-mortem as I did in 2005:

http://ltmurnau.livejournal.com/80294.html
http://ltmurnau.livejournal.com/80401.html.

But I probably will. Can't keep away from crunching those numbers, in my amateurish way. I see there are a few recounts, and in 16 districts there was less than 5% difference between elected and runner-up.

But no one particularly seems to care - voter turnout was under 50%, down from 58% in 2005, down from 70% in 1983. I just read a news story where it alleged that the Stanley Cup playoffs interfered with the voter turnout, or maybe it was the election that interfered with the Canucks' chances (ha)....

This kind of stuff amazes me though! If people can't be arsed to go and vote, but will stay in line for two or three days to get tickets for something, then they shouldn't have the right to complain about the government they elected, or didn't elect, however you want to look at it. Voting is one of those acts of civic responsibility that seem minor but are actually quite important, it's an act of faith in the idea that people getting together and choosing others to run things on their behalf has merit. And if you don't turn out for that, well, I guess that's a choice too.

BAH! (shuffles off, coughing and hacking)

[EDIT: saw this in the comments to Rafe Mair's post-election column in the Tyee:

"... according to the wisdom of the BC electorate [we should have]:

Conservative - 0 [ ~ 2% counted voters]
Green - 3 seats [ ~ 8% counted voters]
New Dem -19 seats [ ~ 42% counted voters]
Liberals - 21 seats [ ~ 46% counted voters]
Empty seats - 42 [ ~ 50% / absent ]"]