It happened again! It usually occurs between the entree and the dessert or just as the coffee is being delivered. It starts with an exasperated sigh, then a sad glare at the table, followed by a shaking of the head. Then the words come out in a hushed, guilt-ridden tone.

“I don’t want to vote anymore.”

I can feel the confessional door open as my friend – the party campaigner, election scrutineer, and democracy advocate – steps in.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, after all the elections I’ve worked on, but I just don’t know who to vote for anymore. I don’t have a party that speaks to me and I’m just so tired of all of the negative campaigning.”

These aren’t the words of a new voter who has dismissed the political process out of hand and stayed home on election day. These are the words of a 35-year-old who has a long track record in political party organizing, has worked in countries where people die for the right to vote, and recognizes the consequences of not-voting.

I seriously worry each time I hear these words, and unfortunately I hear them often.

So what’s a citizen to do? With low voter turn-out rates, low party membership numbers, and a general distrust of our politicians, how do we move ourselves out of this political malaise?

As an eternal optimist, I’ve started to develop a running list which I’m calling “Anecdotes to Soothe the Troubled Democratic.” It’s not a comprehensive list, but I share it with you in the hopes that you will add to it, and together we might find a way to revive the democratic heartbeat of this country.

1. Don’t wait around for government to take a leadership position on policy. If the government is stalling or abandoning their role in developing and consulting Canadians on policy issues, start your own process. That is what a group of citizens who care about Canada’s role in the world did. When it appeared that Canada was falling off the global map, [Canada’s World](http://www.canadasworld.ca) was born, with the aim of engaging Canadians in developing a new vision for our country in the global arena. A few years ago, a group of young people calling themselves Canada 25 did a similar thing and created a series of smart, forward thinking policy options for Canada on social and environmental issues.
2. Clone President Barak Obama and his legions of smart community organizers who found ways of meaningfully engaging Americans in the democratic process. These organizers know that it isn’t just about the election – they’ve continued to engage Americans after they voted and they have even set up an office of public engagement in Washington. In Vancouver, there is a cadre of community organizers who are doing the same thing with our city. They are called Vision (it’s a new kind of municipal party in a city that theoretically doesn’t have political parties). They swept city council in the last election and ushered the smart and well-liked Gregor Robertson into the mayor’s seat. This group takes organizing between elections seriously and has hosted everything from movies in the park, to car-free days to community forums on housing.
3. Ban negative personal advertising. It’s appropriate to attack a party’s policies and principles, but not the individuals. The personal attack ads increase our cynicism about politicians and add nothing substantive to the public debate. Each of the parties rely on character attacks to score political points but the Dion and Ignatieff attack ads by the Conservatives have taken this distasteful strategy to a whole new level.
4. Increase the number of women running for office. I don’t know what it takes to make this a reality, but our record in Canada is poor. As we went across the country with Canada’s World, we heard time and time again a call for more women in positions of political leadership. Equal Voice, a non-partisan organization committed to increasing the numbers of women running for political office is a great first step. So too are efforts by parties to recruit women. But perhaps it’s time to alter some of the working conditions for our politicians, so that running for office is a viable and attractive option for women. From my vantage point, the working conditions on Parliament Hill appear like a scene out of Mad Men.
5. Build new channels for communication. Although I am a strong advocate for professional journalism and a strong independent and accountable media, I recognize that the mainstream media is failing us. In its drive to deliver audiences to advertisers, it has compromised its role in being the megaphone and connectors of our communities. There are some wonderful exceptions and I personally can’t imagine life without my morning paper, but it’s not enough. We need new channels of communications that reflect the diversity and complexities of our democracy. *The Mark* is one example of this – where fresh perspectives and new ideas are shared and debated online. Other examples can be found in the local theatre, art gallery, or bookstore.

Anyone experienced at CPR? It’s going to take a major effort by citizens to revive our democracy in this country. And while I’ll continue to hear my friends’ confessions, I’m not likely to join in the three Hail Mary’s. I’m opting instead for Liza’s approach: “ ... then mend it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry!"