October 19, 2015 is a day Uwe Walter and his husband Jörg Michel will never forget.
After waiting nearly seven years, the local Jasperites exercised their right to vote for the first time as Canadian citizens.
“For me it was a very proud moment because I could finally vote in the country I love and am proud to be a part of,” said Walter, who cast his ballot just after the polls opened. “Fulfilling my rights as a citizen was a very emotional moment this morning.”
For Michel it was also a moment he won't soon forget.
“Canada for me is a country of hope and optimism and something to look up to and when I was standing in the booth voting for the first time today I was really thinking about that because it's an important value I bare within my heart,” he said.
Michel and Walter moved to Canada from Germany nearly seven years ago and in May they both received their Canadian citizenship.
“It's a pretty amazing and important step for us,” said Walter.
Not only was it their first time voting in a Canadian election, it was also their first time voting in a first-past-the-post electoral system. In Germany, the country uses a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system, where voters cast a two-part ballot, selecting both a preferred local candidate and a political party.
“In the German system you pretty much vote what you feel and you can be assured that there will be representation as long as the respective party gets over five per cent,” explained Michel.
“Here strategic voting is more important and to be very honest I thought about strategic voting as well before entering the voting booth because after all you want to make a difference with your vote,” he said.
Walter expressed similar thoughts about voting in a first-past-the-post electoral system.
“This time around I needed to think a lot about how do I want to vote? Do I want to vote strategically? What's the right approach for me? It took me quite a while to figure out what's the best way to go about this where my political heart stands and how can I make the best out of my vote.”
Despite the difference in electoral systems, both men said they were ecstatic to be voting for the first time as new Canadians.
“I felt proud to be Canadian. I felt proud to be part of democracy here in Jasper,” said Michel. “It was a really good feeling and I really felt that by casting my vote I made a difference and I became an even stronger part of the Canadian family and the community of Jasper.”
Paul Clarke
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