Frequently Asked Questions
What is a vote pledge?
A vote pledge is a simply a commitment made by a voter in British Columbia to work with Sensible BC to elect progressive candidates in key ridings across the province. Vote pledges can be collected on paper by one of our canvassers, online through our webpage, or over the phone. In each case, the voter is making a commitment to vote for change in the upcoming federal election.
What commitment am I making when I fill out this form?
Voters who sign the vote pledge are indicating that they are willing to work with Sensible BC to defeat Conservative candidates in key battleground ridings across the province. This entails voting for the marijuana-friendly candidate who has the best chance of defeating the local Conservative candidate.
This could mean casting your ballot on behalf of an NDP, Liberal, or Green candidate depending on the polling in your riding. Sensible BC will keep you up-to-date with all of the information you need in regards to the situation on the ground in your province and which candidate our team will be supporting.
What are the next steps after I fill out the vote pledge?
After you pledge to vote with our team you will be added to our list for your federal riding. As the election approaches we will be providing you with local polling information, updates about the local candidates and their positions on marijuana reform, and ultimately which candidate our team will be endorsing.
How are we determining which party to support?
We are not providing blanket endorsements to any party. We will be selecting candidates on a riding-by-riding basis using the following two criteria:
- The candidate must support marijuana reform
- The candidate and their party need to have the best chance of defeating the Conservative candidate in that riding
What happens if two candidates hold the same position on marijuana policy?
We will be using two methods to determine the strongest challenger. First, we are examining electoral results from the past decade in combination with the current polling projections for each riding.
Second, we will be working in collaboration with other non-partisan groups that are active in the election to identify whom has the best chance of winning against the Conservative candidate. We will manage any conflicts on a case-by-case basis.
Why don't we throw all of our support behind one party across the entire province?
First off, as a non-partisan organization, we represent a politically diverse group of Canadians. We support the stances of the Liberal Party and Green Party that call for marijuana legalization. We also appreciate the work these parties have done in advancing the issue. Blanket endorsements are the job of the political parties themselves.
It is also important to remember that BC is a politically divided province and the next federal election is shaping up as a tight 3-way race between the Liberals, Conservatives, and the NDP, with the Green Party also taking a couple ridings.
We can only have a meaningful impact on the election’s outcome if we back anti-prohibition candidates with the best chance of winning on a riding-by-riding basis.
How are we going to have an impact on the election?
As a relatively small organization, we don’t have the capacity to activate at the national level, but we can have a decisive impact in key battleground ridings across BC. Canada’s first-past-the-post system has its flaws, but it also gives small, dedicated groups like ours the chance to be a deciding factor in tight races.
This year’s federal election is shaping up to be hard fought on many fronts, and BC holds many crucial swing ridings. Denying the Conservative government half a dozen seats could determine our next prime minister.
Where do all of the major political parties stand on marijuana reform?
- The Conservatives are staunchly defending the status quo
- The Liberals are calling for legalization
- The NDP wants to see decriminalization
- The Greens also support legalization
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