The BEST VOTER is an INFORMED VOTER
“Information is power” and information that considered carefully by all voters can stop the political abuse of power.
Mark Snow is the Leader of the Ontario Libertarian Party.
Mark believes that the best voter is an informed voter because he also believes in the personal power that Freedom Of (Informed) Choice can bring to every individual and family member of society.
Respect is priceless.
A government that respects its citizens is one that does not interfere with their ability and desire to undertake personal responsibility for their own lives to the greatest possible extent. This respect must be rooted in the understanding that individual freedom is indispensable for a high-functioning, cooperative, compassionate and civil society.
That understanding was clear and well-documented when the Charter of Rights and Freedoms became constitutional law four decades ago. Why do our elected politicians and unelected officials NOT UNDERSTAND IT today?
What characterizes an “informed voter”?
Is someone well-informed who watches CBC and CNN news, and reads the Toronto Star and New York Times to the exclusion of every other “news” source?
What about those who rely on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube exclusively? The massive corporations behind these tech social media platforms boast that their “community standards” serve to protect its customers from “hate speech”, “misinformation”, “disinformation” and “unacceptable opinions”. Does this ensure that their patrons are well-informed?
Perhaps the best informed are the people who have discovered the ‘alternative’ social media platforms, the “expert” web sites, uncensored Internet podcasters and the growing numbers of independent journalists who publish on Substack or Patreon? Have these folks have a corner on the “truth”? Is their knowledge enriched when they learn “the rest of the story” that is never offered by the “corporate” channels which generally offer only bite-size content?
Choice, Convenience and Critical Thinking.
Today, we have many more sources of news and opinion than we have hours in the day to consume it all. Time restrictions force most people to be highly selective in the media they consume. The “legacy media” generally wins the battle for our attention because they possess the money, resources and infrastructure to sustain a broad and persistent presence in our lives. The “alternative media” sector, on the other hand, is still in its infancy but grows day-by-day and are gaining ground on the legacy institutions. This legacy media advantage, however, is still an important factor today when considering the question of how well-informed is the average voter.
A balanced perspective and critical thinking is best
I consider a well-informed voter to be someone who makes the time and effort to sample a range of information sources with divergent opinions and evidence.
Let’s consider Climate Change for example. The legacy media, which is subsidized by government funding and controlled by heavy legislation, will generally promote the narratives that their paymasters want. On the CC topic, they invariably urge the need for more government intervention, such as higher carbon taxes. The contrarian views are found on the many alternative media sources. Eminent climate scientists, and others with relevant expertise, frequently offer sound counter arguments that effectively challenge and often debunk the government-approved narratives and public policies.
Common sense suggests that any person who weighs and critically assesses the evidence provided from more-than-one side of a topic will make superior choices regarding public policies. Imagine if our entire voting population took this approach before marking their ballot in the next and every election thereafter….
Great article! Timeless advice.