Some things seem inevitable in life: the change in the seasons, the sun rising and setting.
The vandalism of election signs.
It was wholly unsurprising that we started to hear from people last week that various signs had been targeted by miscreants almost as soon as they had been put up following the start of the official provincial election campaign, which will culminate in a vote on Oct. 19.
One person noted that at one location all of the candidates' signs except for the Conservative had been vandalized. They seemed to feel it likely that it was therefore Conservative supporters who had done it. Another person who phoned in complained that only the Conservative candidate's signs had been defaced in another location, and suggested that it was possibly left-wing activists that were responsible.
While we wouldn't rule out supporters of a particular political stripe targeting opponents' election signs (politics in B.C. has been know to get heated, on occasion), we think it's far more likely that it's just random ne'er do wells who like to smash things up late at night when they're bored and with their buddies. Big election signs with people's faces on them make perfect bull's-eyes for this demographic.
Nonetheless, even though we see it during federal, provincial and municipal campaigns, it's still disappointing to see people destroy election signs.
Those signs are expensive for the candidates and their crews spend a lot of blood, sweat and tears finding just the right spots to maximize visibility and coverage.
These are people who have taken the time to participate in our political process because they believe they can make things better, and whether you agree with their plans and political philosophy or not they deserve some basic respect for putting themselves out there. Most of us never do. We need more people willing to take part, both as candidates and voters, not fewer. Participation at all levels of the process is how democracy thrives.
It's the same reason that we like to see a diverse slate of candidates. Whether they belong to a mainstream party and thus have a higher chance of winning the vote is beside the point. Just by running, candidates have the chance to introduce important issues into the public discourse and have people consider ideas they may not have before. It's the same reason why a multi-party system is far superior to a two-way race. There's a far greater chance that a wider array of viewpoints will end up being represented.
So use the signs as a way to familiarize yourself with your options in your riding. Not as batting practice.
