Anarchists launch an anti-get-out-the-vote campaign
Local anarchist groups have joined forces to campaign in the upcoming provincial election. Their platform? Don’t vote. The Nous On Vote Pas (NOVP) coalition – a joint creation of the Northeastern Federation of Anarchist Communists (NEFAC) and the Student Community Anarchist Network (SCAN) – is pushing a city-wide campaign to persuade the electorate not to cast their ballots on March 26. According to NEFAC member Remi Bellemare, the campaign aims to convince people that representative democracy does not allow for a dramatic social change, since all elected officials operate within the capitalist status quo.
Posters and flyers encourage Quebecers to forgo elections, push for real social change
Local anarchist groups have joined forces to campaign in the upcoming provincial election. Their platform? Don’t vote.
The Nous On Vote Pas (NOVP) coalition – a joint creation of the Northeastern Federation of Anarchist Communists (NEFAC) and the Student Community Anarchist Network (SCAN) – is pushing a city-wide campaign to persuade the electorate not to cast their ballots on March 26.
According to NEFAC member Remi Bellemare, the campaign aims to convince people that representative democracy does not allow for a dramatic social change, since all elected officials operate within the capitalist status quo.
“Change does not occur through elections – social organizations and unions are the root of change in society,” Bellemar said. “They are certainly more democratic than just marking an ‘X’ on a ballot every four years.”
Throughout the election campaign, NOVP has been handing out flyers at metro and bus stations and hanging posters around the city encouraging voters not to hand the government “un ch(r)que en blanc.”
According to Bellemar, people need to realize that, because no political party will push for effective social change, voter choice is an illusion. A NEFAC member who gave her name only as Amy agreed, blaming this lack of choice for further undermining the political process.
“The apathy is growing and growing. What we’re trying to say is that apathy isn’t the solution,” Amy said. “We’re not saying, ‘Don’t vote, it’s not worth it.’ We’re saying, ‘Don’t vote – get organized.’”
However, McGill Political Science Professor Imad Monsour disagreed with NOVP’s methodology, arguing that getting involved in the current political process by voting or running as a candidate was a more effective way to foster change than abstention.
“It is best if you organize to change the system from within,” he said. “If people are conscious of only having three parties to vote for, then they should lobby for the fourth or fifth option instead of sitting on the sidelines and watching the people who are really determined.”
But Amy argued that dependence on political institutions does not constitute real social engagement.
“Our notion of abstention doesn’t mean ‘don’t participate in the political system’ – it’s the opposite,” she said. “What we’re saying is that people need to engage on a day-to-day basis so we don’t need to rely on the state.”
Monsour added that the less drastic route of setting up another party was a more responsible route to social change.
“Even though people here are accustomed to voting because they were born with the privilege, they might not realize what they would be robbed of without this capacity,” he said. “It’s counterintuitive for anarchists to have a party, but it’s difficult to envision a society without some form of order.”
A representative from SCAN was unavailable for comment.
http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=6080
