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Are you voting strategically for Tory?

I'm voting for Tory because

  • Total voters
    91
  • Poll closed .
W. K. Lis said:
Back in 2000, in the United States presidential election, Al Gore had 48.38% vs. George W. Bush at 47.87%, but Al Gore lost. See link.

Ralph Nader had 2.74%. They may have thought that Ralph Nader may have been the "better" candidate for those who voted for him, but their "worst" candidate got in.
Click to expand...

But the Libertarians and Constitution parties also took votes away from the Republicans. While first past the post has numerous flaws, letting it degrading elections to a two party system as in the US is far worse. I remember watching an interview with Ralph Nader where he said votes should be earned and not simply awarded, and I believe there is much truth to that statement.
 
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That said, strategic voting does have its place. In Richmond Hill there are three candidates running, Perrelli who is pretty much our town's Rob Ford, Barrow the incumbent who IMO isn't great but decent, and Baxevanidis who while I do think I line up with him ideologically, is running a weak campaign and might as well be a fringe candidate. Think of it as Ford, Tory, and Goldkind respectively. Sadly, Perrelli seems to have some momentum, so I will be voting for Barrow over Baxevanidis.
 
I like Tory. Don't get me wrong, I like Olivia too. It would be cool to have a non white mayor in Toronto. It would be representative of the city's diversity IMO. However, I think it'll still be Tory. He's actually a good guy. I listened to that mans radio show for 2 years and he was always very understanding, listened to all points of views, and I saw parts of him I never knew. Contrary to what some think... Tory is a social progressive. He would be aligned with Justin Trudeau/Thomas Mulcair on many social issues believe it or not. When it comes to finances he is more conservative yes, but I know he will at least be willing to take a middle of the road approach and make things happen. He's a great compromiser. So while he's not a perfect candidate, something about him I do like. He's got all the money in the world but still chooses to give back and really does love the city. He doesn't need all the scrutiny and stress that comes with being mayor but John really does want to make a difference. I respect that.
 
I voted Tory. Had I not been so scared of another Ford era, I may have voted for Chow, or even Goldkind or Baskin for symbolic show of support. But I just felt I couldn't risk it. The "vote with your heart/vote Chow" movement on my Facebook is scaring me a bit...if the vote ends up being split and DoFo somehow gets in, it's on their heads. I didn't want to feel like I was partly responsible for that. I don't believe Tory can accomplish everything he claims, but neither can the rest...and I find him to be the anti-Ford in his behaviour so while I'd love to see a woman and/or non-white mayor, I will be ok with Tory.
 
I really don't get the whole "I'd love to see a woman and/or non-white mayor"...

And I say that as a first generation South Asian immigrant.

I would rather have the most qualified (as per my judgement) than a leader of any sort elected, based on race or gender.
 
kEiThZ said:
I really don't get the whole "I'd love to see a woman and/or non-white mayor"...

And I say that as a first generation South Asian immigrant.

I would rather have the most qualified (as per my judgement) than a leader of any sort elected, based on race or gender.
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I think Olivia is totally qualified and in a better situation, she would have had my vote. I would like to see the diversity of the city reflected in its politicians and feel like we've progressed. There's still white privilege to consider, even if Tory denies it. ;)
 
kEiThZ said:
I really don't get the whole "I'd love to see a woman and/or non-white mayor"...

And I say that as a first generation South Asian immigrant.

I would rather have the most qualified (as per my judgement) than a leader of any sort elected, based on race or gender.
Click to expand...

I don't either. But it is surprising to me that we keep electing white, heterosexual men to be mayor in a city as diverse as Toronto. If you asked me 30 years from now, I would have bet that we'd have at least one non-white mayor by now.
 
kEiThZ said:
I really don't get the whole "I'd love to see a woman and/or non-white mayor"...

And I say that as a first generation South Asian immigrant.

I would rather have the most qualified (as per my judgement) than a leader of any sort elected, based on race or gender.
Click to expand...

TheTigerMaster said:
I don't either. But it is surprising to me that we keep electing white, heterosexual men to be mayor in a city as diverse as Toronto. If you asked me 30 years from now, I would have bet that we'd have at least one non-white mayor by now.
Click to expand...

It's a symbolic thing because it demonstrates that a person of a given skin colour can achieve such a position, or that that group has integrated with mainstream society.

I think that way of thinking is more prevalent in the US: it was historic when Obama was elected president. When the 1st Italian American president is elected, many will celebrate that as well.

Or look at the Wire, everyone assumed Carcetti could not win because he was a white guy running for mayor in Baltimore.

As a Chinese-Canadian, I would like to see more Chinese Canadians in politics and in government. Because... why not? There are plenty of Chinese-Canadians in Toronto so why not have a government with some Chinese-Canadian representatives?

Having said that, I would not vote for someone because they are Chinese-Canadian. I've just decided it's not a factor when making a voting decision. It will happen someday regardless.
 
This reminds me of a father's friend when I was growing up who would vote NDP federally only because at the time Alexa McDonough was their leader and the only lady party leader.
She wasn't non-white though so he was obviously frikkin crazy. :p
 
I just voted and now the 'Tory is the best candidate' and 'will not vote Tory' choices are neck and neck at 28. Clearly we don't think too highly of strategic voting. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I think you should vote your conscience - it's the only way you can justify your choice later, unless it's a field of truly terrible candidates. Strategic voting is a symptom of a deficient representational system, and FPTP rewards apathy and low voter turnout.

Maybe voting should be compulsory? I guess that's a subject for another thread.
 
the lemur said:
I just voted and now the 'Tory is the best candidate' and 'will not vote Tory' choices are neck and neck at 28. Clearly we don't think too highly of strategic voting. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I think you should vote your conscience - it's the only way you can justify your choice later, unless it's a field of truly terrible candidates. Strategic voting is a symptom of a deficient representational system, and FPTP rewards apathy and low voter turnout.

Maybe voting should be compulsory? I guess that's a subject for another thread.
Click to expand...

It is mandatory in Australia and turnout is as high as 97%. If you don't vote, they will figure it out and fine you.
 
Unless the current survey polls change, I would be voting for Chow. If the surveys show Ford gaining, I would be voting for Tory.

If this election was a rated ballot, I would cast my #1 for Ari Goldkind (because of his transit plan, see link), my #2 would go to Olivia Chow, and my #3 to John Tory.
 
the lemur said:
I just voted and now the 'Tory is the best candidate' and 'will not vote Tory' choices are neck and neck at 28. Clearly we don't think too highly of strategic voting. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I think you should vote your conscience - it's the only way you can justify your choice later, unless it's a field of truly terrible candidates. Strategic voting is a symptom of a deficient representational system, and FPTP rewards apathy and low voter turnout.

Maybe voting should be compulsory? I guess that's a subject for another thread.
Click to expand...

I'd wager that a Toronto-focused forum on urban issues is more likely to skew young and pro-Chow than the general population. The internet turns into a big echo chamber for political views because people sort themselves into niche communities like this one. Urban Toronto is actually a bit of an anomaly in that it attracts people with varied opinions...
 
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