Sooo....do some research?
I did some research, there really wasn't much to differentiate the candidates at all. For example all three mayoral candidates ran on a campaign platform of "reduce taxes, build a new hospital (actually, to be fair, one was merely "increase hospital funding"), and reduce pollution." Not exactly controversial issues, or differentiating opinions on them.
I always vote in the federal and provincial elections, but yeah, I'm pretty bad with municipal elections. I'm only a student here anyway, so unless one of them wants to significantly change the public transit here or cap the rent homeowners can charge, none of it effects me. That might be kind of a selfish view, but its hard to care about property taxes or real estate values when it doesn't apply.
I'm moving out of Oakville once I'm graduated in April anyway. Probably to Toronto. There, there is a massive difference in the candidates and the mayor's actually got some level of power, so I'd have to be an asshole not to vote.
---------- Post added at 04:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:05 PM ----------
I'm not a Toronto resident, and as far as the Oakville elections: None of the candidates have done anything at all to differentiate themselves from one another. I honestly have zero knowledge of what any of their platforms are. I just get "VOTE ______" cards in the mail every day with no info on them. Its run like a friggin' high school student council election, and I refuse to vote without knowing who or what it is I'm voting for.
Then exorcise your right to decline your ballot. I've done it several times, once I even chastised the newspaper for not reporting refused ballots correctly. Apparently that year, almost 7% declined their ballot as opposed to choosing a pathetic candidate.[/QUOTE]
I actually had this conversation with someone recently. They told me that there is no way to officially abstain other than to just not vote, and I swore up and down that there was, even though I've never actually done it myself.