Alberta’s Future is Again in the Hands of Albertans Under the Age of 40 #ableg #abpoli #abvote

I’ve had a pretty tough week. My 12 year old needs to learn about personal responsibility, my parents are moving in with me and want me to “prioritize” my time, and I have this: I spend as much time as I am able keeping up with Alberta politics. We’re in the middle of an election and I want to be on the doors with people I respect and people I really like, personally; people I know would make amazing representatives but – life.

It’s been a divisive campaign that has, in my mind, given us false choices. We are being asked to choose between the economy and social issues. And we shouldn’t have to choose. We live in Canada; in Alberta, one of the richest provinces in the country – why should we have to choose?

We’ve been told that these are our options.

I spent the last three weeks on 770 CHQR’s Citizen’s Election Panel and most people don’t question themselves or their decisions but I was faced with this once each week, as well as the requirement to listen to other people’s opinions and their justification for their viewpoints. Again, something that, normally, people don’t usually have to do.

I’ve been struggling this week, between life and work, and I’ve been desperately searching for something positive to keep me going. The advanced polls have been open since Tuesday and they close tomorrow.

What will happen? I have no idea but I have faith in numbers.

In 2015, 192,717 more people voted than in 2012.

A number of people said that PC voters were so upset in 2015 that they just didn’t vote. That would mean even more “new” voters showed up to the polls. In 2015, voters under 50 outnumbered voters over 50 by 621,367. In 2018 that number fell to 522,786 but was still in favour of voters under 50.

No matter who you’re voting for, your vote matters.

Ask Leela Aheer whose riding of Chestermere-Rockyview was too close to call on May 5, 2015; she found out around 2 AM the next day that she had won.

People 20 years and over, but under 50, outnumbered those over 50 by over half a million in 2018. Alberta’s future is worth voting for because it’s your future, your children’s future and your parent’s future too. We have the capacity, some might even say the ‘honour’, of choosing Alberta’s future.

Your vote matters because your future and the future you create for your children or the next generation matters. Please vote. Don’t let the next government be called an “accidental government”; make it clear what you want for your Alberta. Vote for your future.

#ChooseYourAlberta

This post is an opinion.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean

Contact [email protected]

Twitter: @Mitchell_AB for full commentary @thisweekinAB for posts