Is it bad that the election outcome I’m most excited about is just the damned thing being done?

I recently promised to try and write a little more about some of the candidates in today’s election before the big day finally came, and I had hoped to do so this weekend. But I didn’t, partly because I didn’t know what more to say, and partly because I didn’t just want to add to a growing pile of polls and predictions. And although it’s neither here nor there, I also had a bunch of Ikea crap in my house that wasn’t going to build itself.

But the main reason I didn’t write anything about the election this weekend, if I’m being honest, is because I’ve gotten sick and tired of talking about it. I mean, I’m sorry, but I really can’t wait for this damned thing to be over. It’s been a disappointing contest for such a vibrant and progressive city, and I know I’m not the only one who just can’t find a way to get excited about any of the realistic outcomes, unless my dread over Ford counts as excitement.

It’s also been a divisive campaign, not to mention a long one. I’ll be glad to see an end to the pettiness and bickering that seem to have passed for debate and engagement this time around. But I think we’re going to have to ride it out a while longer, because there’s bound to be a lot of lingering bitterness in this town after the election.

After all, because of our electoral system, it’s practically a given that most people are going to be disappointed by the results of today’s election. I can’t picture any of the candidates earning more than fifty percent of the vote – and I really don’t want to picture it, because I think the only one who could possibly do it is Ford.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a broken record, much less contribute to the discouragingly divisive spirit of this election. But I’ve only got one more chance to say this before the polls close, and it’s got to be said: a victory for Ford would be a disappointing result for everyone in this city, including the people who are clamouring to vote for him. He isn’t up to the job. I know a lot of people out there want “change,” or whatever, but you’d have to be a fool to think he’d actually be a change for the better. That’s just my opinion, but it’s also the truth.

As for the much more reasonable question of Smitherman versus Pantalone, I’m not going to tell you how to vote. I’m sure you’ve done your homework and you’re ready to make an informed decision, and you’ve probably had enough of people trying to change your mind. But personally, I think today’s a good day to put the needs of my city above my own ideals, and I don’t see any undue compromise in that.

At the risk of sounding patronizing, I think a lot of people out there are too willing to make the leap, consciously or otherwise, from “Pantalone should win this election,” which I can agree with, to “Pantalone can win this election,” which just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

And among the people who are “voting with their hearts” in spite of knowing that their candidate’s not going to win, I think there’s a similar leap being made from “our electoral system shouldn’t work that way,” which is also a good point, to “I’m going to vote as if it doesn’t.”

Well, the thing is, it totally does. After election day, nobody’s going to count up all the people who voted with their hearts, in defiance of first past the post, and say “Gee, maybe we should petition Mayor Ford for some kind of voting reform.” That’s a battle that we’re going to have to fight another day. In the meantime, it’s my opinion that two candidates have a shot at victory tonight, and the right way to serve our city is to vote for the better of the two.

And by the way, the “Smitherman’s as bad as Ford” thing is so plainly false that it’s hard to see it as anything more than rationalization. Smitherman’s got some baggage, but he’s also an engaged public servant who’s got some good ideas on issues like transit and community engagement. He may not be your top choice, but that hardly means he’s no better than Ford.

Now, I’m saying all this as a member of the NDP. Usually, there’s nothing I love more than voting for the leftist with the wild ideas. But for me, and for a lot of us in Toronto, that candidate is often the frontrunner, if not the incumbent. In our last two municipal elections, that mayoral candidate was David Miller. So we’ve been lucky, in that we haven’t had to vote in many elections in which our ideal candidate was a distant third behind a conservative oaf who didn’t deserve the office, and a pretty good contender who represented the only shot of beating that oaf.

That’s the situation we’re in now. It’s not an ideal situation, and you’re entitled to vote whichever way you want within it. But I think that the most positive thing we can do for our city is elect the pretty good guy today, and hold him to account throughout his term. It doesn’t mean we have to stop fighting for all the things the underdog is promising to do; if anything, it means that of the two leading candidates, we’ll have chosen the one who’s likely to be more receptive to the issues and measures that matter to us.

And there are other things we can do. Today, for example, you can vote for the most progressive councillor running in your ward. And you can certainly get involved in the campaign for electoral reform, which would be a great way to help ensure that we don’t have to suffer through this sort of contest again. I do hope to post a little more about in the near future, because I’ve got a feeling that the discussion’s about to gain some momentum.

Boy, for a guy who said he was sick of talking about the election and wasn’t going to tell you how to vote, I sure have rambled on. But if nothing else, I feel better for having done it. Regardless of your thoughts, I hope you’ll get out there and vote today, and I wish you all the best in making the right decision for your city.

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