COLUMN: Think Again – Choose carefully in local elections

Sept. 22 is coming up soon. That’s the last day people can register to run in the upcoming municipal and school board elections.

Thus, if you are thinking about running for one of these positions, you have only a couple more weeks to register your candidacy, secure the necessary 25 signatures, and hand in your nomination papers.

As of right now, there’s a contested race for Steinbach city council and in at least one of the wards in the RM of Hanover. Things are also looking quite interesting with the Hanover School Board, with multiple people running in all the wards.

Contested elections are good for democracy. Unfortunately, voter turnout rates are almost always lower in municipal elections than in provincial or federal elections. This is a longstanding challenge.

One likely reason for the lower turnout rate is that municipal and school board elections are non-partisan, meaning that candidates do not run under a party banner. This makes it harder for voters to differentiate one candidate from another, particularly when they don’t know each of the candidates personally.

However, this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to tell the candidates apart. Even though candidates are not running under a party banner, there’s plenty of ways to differentiate between right-leaning candidates and left-leaning candidates. It just requires a little detective work on your part.

For example, look at what the candidates say about their priorities. Right-leaning candidates typically talk about upholding traditional community values, emphasize the importance of sticking to the basics, and promise to keep taxes low. Left-leaning candidates are more likely to talk about promoting inclusion, emphasize the need to support progressive values, and usually promise more big-ticket spending items.

In addition, if you really want to find out where the candidates stand, you need to do more than just read their campaign brochures, since these generally contain little more than boilerplate talking points. Do a Google search on their names and check out their social media accounts to find out more about their backgrounds. If they have a public profile, examine what types of causes they’ve championed in the past and what comments they’ve made about politics.

Also look for the telltale signs that they might be running as part of an unofficial slate. It’s usually obvious when candidates are liking and sharing each other’s social media posts or using a lot of the same talking points in their public comments. If a candidate appears to be part of a slate, whether left-leaning or right-leaning, it becomes much easier to figure out where they stand since now you can deduce their beliefs based on what their like-minded colleagues are saying online.

You can also learn a lot about a candidate by talking to them directly, whether you wait for them to come to your door or reach out to them on your own. This is your opportunity to ask specific questions about topics that are important to you. Don’t be satisfied with sanitized talking points. Ask them where they stand on specific issues, including on “hot” topics that they might prefer to avoid.

Before it comes time to vote on Oct.28, you should have done enough research to figure out which candidates you want on council and who are the best options to serve as school trustee. If there’s any chance that you might be away on Election Day, take advantage of the advance voting options.

Municipal and school boards elections are just as important as federal and provincial elections. Take the time to learn about the candidates and make sure you cast your ballot on Oct. 28.

Michael Zwaagstra is a teacher and deputy mayor of Steinbach. He can be reached at mzwaagstra@shaw.ca.