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Why not vote?

Make your voice heard and vote in the municipal elections this Saturday.

The ship of state can seem a lumbering, unresponsive vessel even in the best of times.

Still, when we’ve got the opportunity to put our hands on the tiller and set a course change — even if just for a moment — it’s worth the effort.

The course for North Vancouver Island over the next four years will be set Saturday when electors choose new mayors, municipal councillors, and at least one new School District 85 Board trustee.

Are things going to be sunshine and flowers the next day, with a chicken in every pot and a boat alongside every garage?

Probably not. These candidates are every bit as human as the rest of us who don’t reach out to dip our oars into the turbulent waters of civic governance.

But our particular form of government remains, at least at the local level, a representative matter. They hold the office; we hold them to account.

Such a system works only when all participants — even those who don’t recognize their own participation — fulfill their roles.

When politicians make grandiose promises, it’s often because they don’t believe they’ll be held to account by the electorate. We haven’t gotten those promises from our local candidates, so they must think we’re paying attention. Prove them right. Fill out a ballot.