I've always voted in elections, even by-elections and contests in which my candidate had no chance of winning or in which no candidate appealed to me. When I was young an acerbic friend told me that you've no right to kvetch about politics if you haven't voted, and that notion has stuck.

But I've never voted in a school board election. In the back of my mind is the notion that educating the next generation is critically important – but I don't have kids, the issues are not usually clear to me, and, well, I haven't bothered.

A young woman just came to my door with some stuff about voting for the local MÉMO candidate in today's school board elections. I asked her what the issues were and she waffled a little and then said simply "Her opponent is called Mostafa."

"I see."

According to the campaign material, the MÉMO candidate supports cheap meals for poor kids, making schoolyards green, and some obscure stuff about additional activities for kids in daycare. She also supports the francization of the parents of new immigrant kids.

I had to Google to find out who Mostafa was, because he sent around no campaign material at all. He supports freedom of access to English or French schools for everybody. But he also supports religious instruction.

On the other hand, Google tells me that a lot of nearby MÉMO candidates were chosen by acclamation, Mostafa Ben Kirane won't get in – and I have other things to do today...
posted at 13:43