Knowing that a vote will count.... Even now, I live in a community where I am probably a minority. I live in Charleswood. I vote NDP, although if I put up a sign on my lawn, I am swamped by all the Conservative signs. I know that when I vote, my vote is not going to count in my own area.
Living on the reserve is pretty much the same thing. In these communities, for years we have felt like we didn't matter. It wasn't until 1960 that aboriginal women were finally able to vote. I was stunned by that. I guess that is why my mother's perspective was that it was important; they were always on us about how important it was to vote. I talk to my kids about it all the time, and they said the same thing to me this time around: “Why should we vote when we know it is not going to make a difference?”