It’s past time to rethink the way we cast our ballots

The upcoming provincial election, and the federal one to follow in 2026, is an opportunity to vote for the person not the party.

I’ve voted for people from nearly every political party in our province and nation over the years. I say nearly because I stick to the Big Four: Conservative, Liberal, New Democrat, and Green.

And don’t be fooled by any dinosaurs who tell you different, the Green Party and their candidates are legit. I would argue a lot more legit in most ridings than the NDP, but that’s for a different piece.

So, today, I’m issuing a call to action for my fellow Ontarians and Canadians: ignore the party politics and vote for the best person to represent your riding, regardless of political affiliation.

Yes, that’s right, stop pretending like Conservatives, Liberals, Greens, NDP, and other parties should matter more than the individual that represents your community.

There are wonderful, intelligent, and dedicated members of each party who deserve your vote.

Stop worrying about which party gets into power and start worrying about who is going to represent your riding and your community.

Look, we’ve all become greatly disillusioned with party politics, the rampant growth in division it has caused, and we’re starting to feel like our vote no longer matters.

But, it does matter. What shouldn’t matter is the party a candidate is attached to. The only thing that should matter is how well that candidate will represent what your riding and your community requires.

Because every community is different with distinct wants and needs. That’s why voting along party lines isn’t what’s best for the province or the country: inevitably someone is better off at the expense of another.

But, what if all the candidates where just there to vote in their own community’s best interest? What if all candidates knew they were elected because of who they are and not their party affiliation?

Wouldn’t that mean better representation for all ridings? I would say so. In fact, I would love to disband party politics as a whole, but that is also for another piece.

In order to move our province and our nation forward, we need to cease the nonsensical practice of voting for or against a particular party and start voting for the best person for the job out of the candidates in your riding.

If that person is Conversative, Liberal, Green, or NDP, vote for that person and not the party. Eventually, the government should catch up and recognize people are done with the parties and want real representation.

Imagine a minority government where every major party had at least 25 representatives elected. That would much better represent the make-up of the province and the nation that what we have now at either level.

So, this election, be mindful of the speeches, the messages, and ask yourself: who the best candidate to represent the needs of the community and riding I live in. Ensure you pick a person who will loudly and proudly champion the matters that are most important to you and your neighbours.

This is how I’ve voted for years and years, no matter where I was living at the time.

Now, there may be on occasion two candidates who are equally deserving of your vote. This was the case in the last provincial election in Parry Sound-Muskoka, where current MPP Graydon Smith (Conservative) and Green Party representative Matt Richter were both excellent choices.

In that case, you may want to use the party as a tiebreaker. But, those are rare instances. If looking beyond the party politics, there is usually only one bi-partisan choice in each riding.

This was the case in the last federal election in the same riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka, where current MPP and Conservative housing critic Scott Aitchison was the best candidate (by far) and the only real choice regardless of party affiliation.

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