Note: The second entry in the "Langford Democracy Forum" written by a seasoned political activist on Vancouver Island. These dispatches are republished here because they provide a thorough examination of how to wage an effective and principled left-wing campaign in municipal elections, with special attention on the Langford, BC election. Langford Now is a new dissident slate taking on a business-first, developer-first slate of incumbents campaigning under the slate of name of Community First Langford.
A critical fact for readers outside British Columbia is that BC's municipal candidates are elected at-large. It is not a ward or district system as in other provinces, such as Ontario. In Langford, where there are six councilors, you can vote for up to six councilors.
In my second Langford Democracy Forum post, I share thoughts around what is most immediately important---the strategy and tactics of vote deployment and mobilizing.
I am not a member of Langford Now. LN started as a mild progressive wish for more civility and consultation at City Hall but has developed a fuller progressive liberal program for modest changes in the way profit-looting development is undertaken in the community.
For those that want to support these LN starting points for democratic change, it is important to have a solid strategic orientation about what one should be doing at the ballot box and how to get one’s supporters there. From the modest vantage point of my own experience as local opposition political leader, I will touch on two key Topics in this post: Vote Plumping and Mobilizing the Vote.
Vote Plumping
It is an old strange term but vote “plumping” means only voting for those candidates who you really support and not wasting votes on “iffy” candidates that may only be marginally less terrible than the worst ones. Naïve folks tend to view their full range of votes for a local government like pieces of gold…in Langford, you have a Mayor vote and 6 votes for Council and so some people will think they HAVE to use all six votes for Council or somehow they are “losing” something. But by voting for iffy candidates, you are actually endangering the chances of electing the people you support most. Because the iffy candidates have their own supporter base who will NOT vote for your candidates.
IMO, it is essential to have actual standards for providing political support, in this case, through voting. Voting for people who actually pledge to make democratic change is critical while voting for people who only talk about a change in governance tone or process and/or may be slightly less loathsome than the worst of candidates is a recipe to never get your people elected and not get on the bottom rung of democratic change.
If you are looking at voting for any of the six incumbents, almost all of whom have been on Council close to forever, who are stubbornly plugging up the ballot, you should consider looking at their actual voting records over at least last four years. For example, how many of the incumbents voted for that building disaster on Peatt Rd? Is there not going to be any political consequence for that submoronic move? What about the voting record on selling off public lands for a song that then are quickly turned into money making assets through rezoning?
Langford Now has 5 candidates. LN has actually undertaken the work of building an opposition to the Developers’ First Party and earned opprobrium in the process from the business class here who love low taxes, low wages, public hand-outs, an anti-union City Hall and privatized services. LN is the Little Red Hen that has done the work of growing the wheat, getting the grain to the mill, grinding the flour and baking the Bread. It would be a critical error for LN and its supporters to allow any of the incumbents, who have worked for years to advance profit-looting development and privatized rip-offs, to eat the Bread that LN has baked for beginning democratic change in Langford.
Mobilizing the vote
The Developers’ First Party will pull out all the stops to get their regressive burghers and lackeys to the polling stations. The police and fire departments and the businesses are firmly on their side and their managers/owners will be telling and leaning on their staff to get their family and friends to vote for Developers, Inc. When I attended the Mayor+Friends campaign launch on September 8th, I heard the fellow in front of me in construction duds tell his nearby workmates, “Chad told us all to be down here today”. I also observed many other construction workers and uniformed retail staff in attendance.
LN has 5 candidates who are new to the scene facing off against 6 incumbents, some of whom date back to at least the Triassic Era and all of who have in-built advantages to being re-elected by default. LN is best advised to not be lured into complacency by the reassurance of good responses at the door step or on social media. Knocking off incumbents the first time you are running as a newbie is incredibly hard especially when most of those dinosaurs have lock, stock and barrel support from the entire local establishment.
A key source of untapped voter potential is renters. Having something to offer renters--eg, establishing a Housing Commission that will organize proper rent controls (ie, ones in effect for new tenancies) and drawing on proper social housing option--is essential in appealing to renters, like myself, who have no capital interest in developer profit-looting. And reaching renters who are being entirely ignored, that is frankly the path to victory over the DFers.
Local elections law allows candidates to campaign on private property which includes inside apartments. Here are some quick points to consider on that score:
- A) To be successful, I think it is key to have actual supporters of yours inside the apartments to lead the door-to-door visits.
- B) Simply sticking literature under doors is a waste of money and time. There is no replacement for face-to-face work.
- C) If you have a supporter in a building accompanying your candidates, saying, hey, I am so-and-so from suite #302, this is a good “in” to engage people and lessen the “creep” factor of having a stranger knock on your door inside the apartments which normally does not happen.
- D) Have a short list of easy recall points that summarizes your case against the establishment, your platform pledges that will benefit renters and the working majority and what people need to present at the polling station to be able to vote.
- E) Be sensible in judging the receptivity of people you are talking with…if they are hostile, thank them and quickly move along. If they are quiet, keep it short and sweet, thank them and move on. If they are eager to talk, limit your time to 5 min tops and let them know that you appreciate their interest and need to keep moving but invite them to sign up to join the campaign.
- F) Ask the receptive if they would like to be contacted in the lead-up to the vote and on Election Day. This forms your contact list for Getting Out the Vote.
