Strategic Voting Link-Fest

In Canada during every election, strategic voting comes up, with people arguing passionately on either side.

Well, things are different this time. Strategic voting has never had the Internet and social media backing that it does now. Canadians are connected as never before and many of them clearly see the threats that a Harper majority represents.

And some people have been working for months to get ready for this.

A member of CRUSH, Michele MacKay, has been on it.

GREAT NEWS FOR STRATEGIC VOTING! I have just finished comparing both Catch 22 and Project Democracy riding by riding, and they have picked the same candidate in every single riding except one (Beauport-Limoilou.) The fact the two sites arrived at the exact same picks completely independently of the other proves they're solid: We can take them to the polls!

IMPORTANT NOTE: the riding projections are up to date on PD, but they are still in the process of updating their candidate picks. Meantime, look ONLY at the riding projections.

Both sites are recommending we check back in May before we go out to vote because things can still change in the last week.

Also, some are too close to call. Yet.

Other helpful sites include Election Prediction Project, which has 61 ridings too close to call.

ThreeHundredEight is tracking polls.

The CAW is following 50 key ridings.

And the ReformaTories are focussed -- when they're not focussed on the economy of course -- on 30 seats.

One more to round out this strategic voting link-fest: Swing 33 has identified 33 ridings where a financial donation could help tip the scales.

Final point: if you vote in one of these swinging ridings, wait until eday. Things change.

Dear Typical Stressed but Concerned Canadian Voter

I just came back from my eye doctor. She's a great gal, loves her work, loves her patients, and her patients love her.

We talked politics.

I think she's pretty typical of a lot of very busy but concerned Canadians

She hates Harper, wants him out, but hates Iggy too. She always votes Liberal, but doesn't even know this time who her candidate is. She said she's seen no signs.

She said that a Conservative majority was inevitable.

After I got done shrieking 'NOOOOO', I talked strategic voting with her, told her it was vital that we stop dividing the anti-Con vote. I did the whole 'hold one's nose' spiel.

She wanted to continue to talk about the Liberals: why did they bring Iggy in, why don't they get rid of him, etc.

I said: First, we get rid of Evul Stevul.

I asked for her email address and told her I'd send her what she needs to vote strategically.

I just did it and here it is with links left in plain text, so it can be conveniently copied, edited, pasted and forwarded to EVERY LIKELY PERSON YOU KNOW.

Dear World's Best Eye Doc:
First we need to deny Harper the majority he so desperately wants. Then we can go back to politics as usual -- the Libs to backroom in-fighting, the NDP to uselessness, and the Greens to hopelessness.

To get rid of Harper's Conservatives, we must vote strategically. We must stop dividing the anti-Conservative vote. We must hold our noses and vote for the candidate and party most likely to beat the Con. In some cases, this will mean voting NDP, in others Lib, or even Bloc or Green.

Do not try to vote strategically, i.e. just anybody but Con, unless you've done some homework. It's easy though. There are several websites where smart political wonks have done the math. Here's one: http://www.projectdemocracy.ca/

Find your riding, see which candidate has been recommended and vote for him or her.

Here's a site offering donation information for 33 'swing' ridings, if you want to help out with some dough. http://swing33.ca/

Here's another strategic voting guide: http://regressiveconservative.ca/voting-guide.php

And another targetting 40 key ridings. http://catch22campaign.ca/notes

All of these sites are multi- or non-partisan.

Do please vote and pass this information along to any and all your friends, relatives, and acquaintances across the country.

This is really urgent. Look at the nuttiness going on the US. You think Harper wouldn't try killing universal health care, pensions, unions, and environmental legislation if he got a majority?  

If you or any of your pals need a reason to vote against Harper, here's 107 of them. http://100reasons.ca/

And for fun -- and not safe for work -- have a look at this site that has gone viral. It crashed yesterday when it was hit over a million times on the day it went live. http://shitharperdid.ca.nyud.net/

Each page has a headline, some text, a link to the source and a button to hit for the next 'item'. 

Sample: Stephen Harper thinks women talk too much.

Since 2006, Harper has cut funding for women’s advocacy by 43 per cent, shut 12 out of 16 Status of Women offices in Canada and eliminated funding of legal voices for women and minority groups, including the National Association of Women and the Law and the Courts Challenges Program.

There are also two funny -- and NOT SAFE FOR WORK -- videos promoting that site. Young people in particular might find them cool. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONPki_Qhlz0&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQm0t1v2wOM&feature=related

Just one more thing: Rick Mercer, in one of his rants, challenged young people to vote. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=225Mx6ya7SQ

And the kids responded: http://leadnow.ca/en/vote-mobs

They've staged several Vote Mobs and they're planning more. 

Here's the first from UGuelph: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGGjnoqfFs

UVic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGGjnoqfFs

Please forward this far and wide. Be part of the viral 'Anti-Harper social media attack' 
http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/techsense/archive/2011/04/13/anti-harper-social-media-attack-goes-viral.aspx

This may be the most important election you've ever voted in.

Cheers,
fern hill

Seriously, fans of democracy, the fucking media keeps shovelling 'inevitable Conservative majority' at people too busy to inform themselves otherwise and they'll believe it and stay home.

This is what Evul Stevul is counting on.

Here's that last link in the letter, for some Thursday midday optimism. Anti-Harper Social Media Attack Goes Viral.

Social media is wreaking havoc on the Conservative Party’s closely orchestrated election output with anti-Harper videos going viral and a website citing a litany of Harper criticisms crashing Wednesday under viewer traffic.

Mixing mockery with profanity, the web site shitharperdid.ca got more than a million hits within hours of its its launch Wednesday morning.

Among people who noticed the site – Margaret Atwood – who tweeted a link to her 160,000-plus followers:

“Didn't know about some of these things! Yikes!” she wrote.

On Holding One's Nose

Evul Stevul's plan seems to be working. Split the anti-Con vote and hey! presto! at least another minority, or *shudder* worse.

Greenies have their organic, politically correct knickers in knots over EMay's exclusion from tonight's debate and vow to work even harder on pulling a Ralph Nader again here in Canada.

The Fucking Liberals® are sniping at the Useless NDP® and the Useless NDP® are sniping back.

The Intertoobz are rife with holier-than-thou's (or Con operatives) saying that they won't compromise their principles and vote for anyone other than the party that was good enough for grandad, dagnabbit.

And besides, they argue, don't you want your 2-buck vote subsidy to go to EMay's Birkinstock Fund?

*Le sigh.* Politics as usual, in other words.

And yet, the sane people soldier on. The sane people who are so appalled at what Evul Stevul has done and will continue to do to Canadian democracy that, yes, they are prepared to 'hold their noses' and vote for the candidate most likely to stop him.

A number of groups have created websites intended to help others do the same.
You can find them here, here, here, and here. They are non- or multi-partisan, recommending candidates of all un-Con persuasions, including Bloc and Green.

So, what about that 2 bucks? If you're so committed to your partisanship, send the party of your choice some dough of your own.

Now, we realize that in some benighted parts of the country, a vote for a non-Con party is totally wasted. To help out poor souls in those ridings, we've compiled a list of interesting parties registered by Elections Canada and thus eligible for the subsidy.

Check them out and see if there's one running in your nabe.

Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada

Canadian Action Party

Christian Heritage Party of Canada

Communist Party of Canada

First Peoples National Party of Canada

Libertarian Party of Canada

Marijuana Party

Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

People's Political Power Party of Canada (couldn't find a website for this one)

Pirate Party of Canada

Progressive Canadian Party

Rhinoceros Party (Facebook seems its only online presence)

United Party of Canada

Western Block Party

Hey, if a vote for the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada isn't a 'protest vote', what the hell is it? And there's the bonus! of adding a couple of bucks to their coffers so they can continue to amuse us.

Do Not Vote Strategically

Unless you are prepared to spend a few minutes informing yourself. As Anonymous says here.

I'm sometimes shocked that even some progressives @ PB are talking out of their asses. You want to get rid of Harper, then vote strategic, but at least know what your doing!

Again, here are a couple of websites to get information: Catch 22 Harper Conservatives and Swing 33.

And if your vote really doesn't matter a damn -- as in most places in Alberta -- consider throwing a couple of bucks towards the Pirate Party by voting for them.

Or some other shit-disturbing entity of your choice.

The Harper Record

Good morning, DJ! readers.

Here in 1:45 minutes is all you and your wavering friends and colleagues need to know about the Contempt Party of Canada.




Spread farnwide.

Thinking about strategic voting? There's a new website devoted to strategic donations. The selected ridings at Swing 33 are somewhat different from those at Catch 22 Harper Conservatives, but both are worth checking out.