Every three years, right around this time, we usually pull out the soapbox, jump on top of it, and start bemoaning the consistently low voter turnout at municipal elections.
"In some places in the Bu world, people walk miles to vote! They line up for days! They risk life and limb to exercise their right to cast a ballot!" we proclaim.
These things are as true now as they were the last time we said them. For a country that prides itself on being a place of freedom, we don't seem very keen on exercising that freedom, at least in the political sphere: in the 2008 Burnaby civic election, less than 24 per cent of eligible voters in this city came out to the polls.
One in four. Hard to believe that the other 75 per cent don't care what happens here, or how their tax dollars are spent, or what kind of schools their kids will attend.
And while it's tempting to pull out that soapbox for another good tongue-lashing on the sad state of political engagement, we won't.
What's the point of bullying people into voting if they're so disinterested and disinclined to do so on their own?
In fact, if you don't know who's running, what they stand for, what they plan to do in city hall or at the school board, perhaps it's better to stay away from the polls altogether. Low voter turnout isn't good, but blind voting surely won't help the city either.
It's been found, particularly in civic elections, that those whose names are closer to the top of the ballot are more likely to win - giving the advantage to anyone whose name is in the first third of the alphabet. Talk about random, lastminute voting decisions.
So we won't hassle you about getting to the polls and exercising your democratic freedoms. It's a tired refrain at this point. But we will suggest this: if you're going to vote, make some decisions about who, and why, before you show up. Which candidates best represent your values, your hopes for your city, your political leanings? Give it some thought - and then bring those opinions to your local voting site tomorrow.
