Voice


Imagine living in a community where you have an opportunity to influence the leaders that represent where you live and what is important to you. Imagine living in a community where you have the opportunity to contribute your opinion on decisions that impact you through frequent polls. Imagine that the results of such polls will become the voice of the community. Your voice is part of the community voice. Your voice will sometimes be on the same side of an issue as the community and sometimes not. Every voice has a stake in the outcome.

Some cautions are in order. Your voice becomes a part of your community’s collective voice. It has power and, therefore, your responses should be weighed and measured internally by you before being shared with others. Ask questions to learn more. If you know nothing about an issue, research it.

– It may be difficult to park your emotions on certain issues, putting them on hold, but it’s facts, not emotions, that will gather respect.

– Be mindful of others trying to use your voice for their own purposes. Selfish motives are not likely to gather support.

– It’s ok to be on different sides of an issue but don’t allow that difference to drive a wedge between you and those with whom you disagree.

Whether a community is closely divided on issues or overwhelmingly on one side, the majority will have the say. That’s democracy in action.

Community issues that only affect one community may be acted upon or implemented right away at a community level. In a democratic environment, issues that affect the province need to be measured with the other communities within the province and follow the overall voice of the province. Issues that affect the country need to be measured with the other communities within the country and follow the overall voice.


The collective voice of the community will be posted online with a margin of error so everyone will know when our opinions about issues are strong and need to be supported by our leaders. Elected leaders holding office may find themselves having to choose between their political or ideological position and advocating for the voice of the communities they serve.

Imagine living in a community where elected leaders can no longer use evasive tactics when it comes to communicating information. Leaders saying things like “that information is not yet available” or “we are continuing to study the issue” will not be accepted. With the implementation of a frequent and public polling system within communities, our governments and our local leaders will be able to become better informed about citizen reactions.

So…if you can imagine living in a community where you have an opportunity to influence the leaders that represent where you live and what is important to you, you have but to step up with your voice. Can polls influence decisions? When polling results are ignored, leaders may feel the pressure as communities may back other leaders who will represent community voices exclusively beyond any personal, political or ideological views. After all, exercising choices is part of the beauty of living within the freedoms of democracy.