Why I am voting in the 2025 Canadian Federal Election (and any political election)
Responding to a rational argument about why voting is bad
Today is April 28, 2025, and it is Election Day in Canada for the 45th Canadian Parliament. I am voting today.
There is a rational argument against voting in governmental elections, and it is based on the mathematical and statistical principle of expected value. In large elections, the probability of one person’s vote being decisive (breaking a tie or swinging a result) is very small. Even if I restrict the scope to the election of my local Member of Parliament, that probability of decisiveness is 1 in several tens of thousands. Given the time and effort required to vote, the expected impact (probability of decisiveness × outcome’s value) is so small that it may not justify the cost. This argument suggests that voting is irrational for individuals focused solely on directly affecting the immediate election result.
I recognize and understand that argument. However, I still choose1 to vote. Here are my reasons for doing so - in the current federal election and any other election at the municipal, provincial, or federal level.
Each vote contributes to the aggregate data on what issues, ideologies, or candidates resonate with the electorate. Parties and candidates analyze vote shares, regional patterns, and demographic breakdowns to understand which policies or messages succeeded (and which ones failed). For example, if a candidate advocating for debt reduction wins by a large margin in a district, parties may prioritize fiscal restraint in future platforms to capture similar voters. My vote incrementally shapes the data pool, and that has a high utility to me. (Note that it is entirely permissible for a voter to submit a ballot with no vote for any candidate. This signals dissatisfaction toward every candidate, and it is another way to express your electoral sentiment.)
The process of voting sends a signal to others about how much I value this civic duty. I need to pack my government-issued identification, proof of address, and voting card. I need to take some time away from my job to go to the polling station. I need to physically go to the polling station to line up, follow the instructions of the election workers, and then mark my ballot. All of these actions send signals to my fellow Canadians about the importance of voting - beyond just merely talking about it verbally in my everyday life. When I talk about the issues that matter to me, I take comfort in knowing that I took action to express my sentiments directly to political candidates. (To use a common idiom, I walk the talk - at least in this one regard.) In turn, I hope that my actions will subjectively elevate the value of civic engagement in my fellow Canadians.
Many Canadians sacrificed or worked very hard to give me the right to vote. Most notably, these people include military personnel in the Canadian Armed Forces; some of them died in combat, and some of them suffered lifelong injuries. There are other people who also contributed to the establishment of this right, such as electoral workers (administrators, vote counters, and cybersecurity specialists). There are also people who worked hard to establish Canada as a country many years ago, as well as many Canadians who never had the right to vote and had to actively lobby for universal suffrage. I value the contributions of all of these people, and I want to express my gratitude to them. Voting is one way to do so. When Elections Canada posts data about voter turnout, the builders of my country and our electoral system will see that turnout percentage. I want to do my part to elevate that turnout percentage.
A democratic election works only if the citizens vote. Thus, I want to do my part to make this process work, even if the probability of decisiveness is extremely low. It is hypocritical to recognize the necessity of voting while relying on everybody else to do that work - especially when the effort is minimal for me. I do not want to turn this into a free-rider problem.
These reasons summarize the value of voting beyond just affecting the outcome of the election itself. It is difficult to aggregate these reasons into a quantifiable value of voting, but it is very high to me - and I hope that these reasons will elevate the value of voting to you, too.
In Canada, voting is voluntary. This is contrast to other countries like Australia, where voting is compulsory. There are arguments for compulsory voting, and there are arguments against compulsory voting.