Unpredictable. Unfocused. Just like life.

I'm a member of a small group of folks in my town called the Voter Support Committee. There's about ten of us, and our mission is to find good quality candidates for local public office to ensure that there are no accaimations, and to increase voter turnout. We also run town hall meetings where local citizens get a chance to meet the candidates, hear what they have to say, and ask them questions about the things that matter to them.

This is the second election for which we've done this, and we've had a good turnout, but it still amazes me that most people don't seem to give much consideration to who runs their town. Local government is the most accessible to the public of all governments, yet most people elect a councillor based on the position of their name on the ballot, or whether or not they recognize the name. And only 20%-30% of the people even bother to vote.

I like being a party to helping improve voter knowledge of the candidates. I just wish I knew how to make people care about this.

After all, you get the government you deserve.