elections

[dogdung]

rm #3 citizens showed there support yesterday in returning our present councillers in a landslide . good work guys just shows you are doing a exelant job

[oneoff]

One might ask for a list of examples that would lead to a conclusion of an "exelent job"

[oneoff]

You notice how easy it is to pat yourself on the back....but much more difficult to pass out absolutely any tangible evidence.

[tipsy]

oneoff I think you tko'm!!

[sumdumguy]

How many people voted? Apparently there is some sort of election here, but who knows?

[oneoff]

Go to


www.elections.sarm.ca

for all election results in rural municipal elections (this years, and the three previous election years and of course in future years)

And it shouldn't/doesn't suprize anyone that that same Wednesday in October (every second year from now on) is reserved for rural municipal elections.

[freewheat]

RM politics is dryer than last years porridge. At least here. No offense oneoff, I know you take it seriously, and I appreciate it.

[oneoff]

Spoils first; then goes rotten; dries out and still nobody bothers to throw it out.

[farmaholic]

Lol, that is a good description oneoff. An element of truth to it.

[farmaholic]

Division two had 35 votes and division four had 46.

The last contested election(2011) in my division had 73 turn out. And the same year in a different division had 46. In 2011 the councillor of my division ran uncontested for reeve then two new people got nominated to run in his place. There was actually some campaigning done in that election.

These would appear to be small numbers, but rural Sask can be pretty sparsely populated in some areas. You have to wonder how many eligible voters there are in some divisions. Land owners and their spouses then there's the ones who own land but don't live in the R.M. Imagine a married couple who owns a quadter of land in the far S.E. corner of Sask that lives in B.C. the man is a pilot and the women a home maker. But in all honesty they have every right to vote as the guy who owns 20 quarters and farms there.

Any thoughts?

[Oliver88]

To be eligible you have to live in RM or own land.

Oneoff why don't you run for reeve or councillor and bless the RM with your wisdom?

[checking]

You are not anywhere close to being fully correct on who is eligible to vote, councillor Oliver.

[sumdumguy]

I thought you had to live in the R.M. To vote?

[mbdog]

local politics can/do have influence/a voice, believe it or not...depending on who gets in tho. Voting in the nice person isn't the way to vote IMO, because these people must "take on"/be able to speak to much tougher, political savvy beurocrats/politicians who will eat you alive and steamroller over you if you allow them to. Politics at all levels is about fighting for what you represent. Sadly to many rural councils are puppets or become so because they are muscled and don't want to be confrontational because they are "nice". Politics is not a nice profession. Local politics can and does have a direct impact on local attitudes.
IMO, What's lacking is strong voices at the grassroots, municipal level....and it is an impediment to local progress/investment.

[oneoff]

In such elections it is possible to guess or even know with almost exact certaintly how each person voted. If advance polls were counted seperately; the 99% confidence level would be so high one could potentially report the list as facts.

Of course that would be an election infraction; just as what Rob Ford did at Toronto polling stations. But when you have hundreds of thousands of voters; no one pays any attention to families; their friends nor the personal links between individuals.

Such is not the case in voting decisions in RM "politics". It matters not what your platform might be; your motivation for the office; nor your personal agenda or how the connections and low scale powers might be used for any benefit.

Additionally; at the rural level; information is disseminated by "rumor".

There are no news outlets covering happenings such as elections. It would be suicidal for any such rogue business to report or speculate on what just happened . Your insurance business might find that municipal vehicles are registered through the office in the next town; the high school yearbook doesn't get a paid advertisement even though the municipalities kids attend that very school and local papers might just not get all the ads that should be inserted through "two or more public notices".

These are actual outcomes I have seen; and some continue to this day. Even excess hotdogs from some municipal event can get diverted from an area that anyone would normally not expect.

So the long and short answer is that some persons; who arguably may or may not make a potentially viable candidate

REALIZE
THAT
NO
MATTER
HOW
MUCH
CAMPAIGNING
OR
QUALIFICATION
THEY
COULD
NEVER
BECOME
THE
ELECTED
DOG CATCHER
under the present circumstances.

But they can document history through such instruments as this Agriville Forum. Those comments will live much longer than the upcoming four year term.

And that is one of the slightly viable alternatives; that in larger settings are covered by information media and population numbers that have an interest and less fear of offending the handfull of like minded elected officials and a very few closely knit family units.

It's "too small potatoes" on may fronts.

It will eventually change; and those handfuls of people won't be happy. But don't worry ... it will be a ways in the future.