Monday, August 08, 2011

HST Referendum Shuffle....Are We All Procrastinators Now?

ThereButTheGraceOfTheGoddess
GoWeVille

Yesterday, I linked to a short story from CKWX 1130 by Sonia Aslam about calls from the HST Fireman's Brigade to extend the vote.

The following comment, attached to the story, is fairly representative of the response, to say the least:

Procrastinators are the ones that need a lesson

You had weeks to vote. Society shouldn't have to wait for stragglers who didn't vote just because they can't get their act together. If their vote is denied, they may be cautious when deciding when to vote next time.....


But here's the thing.

Given the vagaries of the bizarre system, not everyone was able to actually get a ballot in a timely fashion, regardless the togetherness of 'their act', through no fault of their own.

A reader, Rob, responded to our post in the comments about just this situation. Rob's response is most definitely worth the read.

And it is worth remembering, regardless what many of the talk show screamers would have you believe, not everyone who has difficulties in our world is a scofflaw, or worse:

I went to the 1130 link and everyone says that we all had weeks to get it done. In some cases we did not. I left the following:

My son moved from an apartment building into a suite last month. He tried to retrieve his ballot but the new occupant had thrown it in the garbage. We contacted Elections BC and requested a new ballot and it was received August 3rd. I explained to my son that it was a very bizarre process to complete the vote and asked him to come to my home to make certain it was done correctly. As things will be he did it on his own and put the ballot in the wrong envelope and sealed it. He brought the herd of envelopes to my home and I took it apart and glued the envelope back together. My son works but I am retired and had to drive more than 20 kilometers from Surrey to Langley and drop it off on the last day at 4:00pm. He would not have been able to do this on his own. Things happen. The entire process is the most convoluted procedure I have ever seen.


Thanks Rob.


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