The election writ has been dropped and British Columbia voters are now preparing to go to the polls to choose the next provincial government.
The outcome of this election will set the direction for the province for the next four years, and the effects of some of the decisions made by the next government could last much longer. This is why this election – and all elections – are important.
This is the time when voters are asked to determine the best choice for the riding and for the province as a whole.
It’s a time to consider which candidate would best represent the riding and which party’s platform best aligns with individual voters’ goals and values.
RELATED: The ‘relentless underdog’: Green Leader Sonia Furstenau ready for uphill battle
RELATED: Wilkinson aims to be B.C. premier after cabinet role, working as doctor and lawyer
RELATED: Childhood lessons, fight with cancer helped John Horgan forge political goals
In short, the election on Oct. 24 is the time to select the best choice from the options available.
However, if past elections are any indication, the tone could easily switch from choosing the best to avoiding the worst.
This tone has come up in previous election campaigns at various levels, as well as in comments and letters from readers.
No other decisions are made this way. Employers do not select workers who are not quite as bad as other applicants. Consumers do not choose the least repulsive purchases.
And nobody selects a close friend or a life’s partner simply because that person is not as bad as another choice.
In the end, a negative tone during an election campaign will result in jaded, frustrated voters. This may also be the reason voter turnout is not as high as anyone would like.
In the last provincial election, in May, 2017, only 61.2 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots.
In May, 2013, the voter turnout was even lower, at 55.32 per cent. And in May, 2009, the voter turnout was 50.99 per cent.
Decisions made in the B.C. Legislature affect all of us, and because of this, the choice of who makes those decisions should be made by all of us.
The outcome of the election on Oct. 24 will set the tone for British Columbia in the coming years.
This is a time to make the best possible choice, not the least worst choice.
For more news from Vancouver Island and beyond delivered daily into your inbox, please click here.