The Tribune

By ALICIA WALLACE

DEMOCRACY is contingent upon the participation of the people and is under threat any time that our participation is curtailed, whether by architect or individual decision. Unfortunately, democracy and democratic participation are often reduced to a single event—the casting of a ballot every five years, in the case of The Bahamas. This is both reductive and dangerous as rhetoric and practice. Democracy is not only a form of governance or a structure under which we live, but a system we build with our collective action (and inaction).

Over the past few weeks, amid the signaling of the general election being called, I have read commentary by people attempting to encourage others to register to vote, and to actually show up to vote. Given the current climate, it likely would have been more effective to separate these actions, first focusing on the importance of registering to vote and separating it from the decision to cast a ballot. Many people, including, but not limited to, young people, are not at all inclined to vote.

Some are relieved, even excited, to opt out of the exercise. This is largely due to the lack of options and the overwhelming dissatisfaction with those that have presented themselves.

It’s, indeed, difficult to find a reason to vote when the candidates are tied to parties that fail to distinguish themselves from one another, and when the vote for the candidate in a constituency is directly--even if unintentionally--a determinant of the incoming prime minister. The focus then, needed to be on encouraging people to register to vote, emphasizing that registration does not force anyone to vote. It opens the option.

Perhaps even more beneficial to many, it provides a form of government-issued identification—a requirement for many transactions.

Vote to be heard?

The predictable and silly refrain of far too many people is that “your vote is your (only) voice.” They insist that not voting is equivalent to silence. They say that not voting is giving up the right to have a say at any time during the five-year term.

The fact is, that they are wrong.

Some people do not vote because they are out of the country, whether attending university, seeking healthcare, on a vacation (planned before the election date was announced since we have to wait for the announcement at the whim of one person), or any other reason. Some people do not vote because they did not get registered in time, and there have been many stories of the terrible management of the voter registration process through which many cannot afford to sit and wait.

Some people do not vote because they do not have passports and the process is more complicated in these cases. Some people do not vote because they are unwell on the day of the election. Some people do not vote because they have disabilities and do not have the appropriate accommodations both available and accessible to them. To say that the casting of a ballot on one day in a five-year period is the way to earn the right to speak in this, or any, country is reckless and foolish. In fact, there are many people who participate more fully in democracy every single day than those who attempt to bully others into voting.

Democracy is more than elections

While I encourage people to register to vote, to vote, and to spoil their ballots if they find all of the options unacceptable, I do not and will not ever suggest that they are not entitled to participate in democracy, whether by using the media to express their opinions, engaging with members of parliament, organizing and/or participating in protests, or any other means they choose. A right is only a right when we choose to use it or not. I have the right to choose and practice a religion, and I have the right to opt out. I have the right to marry, and I have the right to opt out. I have the right to have (a) child(ren), and I have the right to opt out. I have the right to vote, and I have the right to opt out.

No choice I make regarding the use of my rights can deprive me of any other right.

I order to mature in a democracy and as a people working to build one that works for us, it’s critical that we come to a clear understanding of democracy. It is not just about voting.

Georgetown University defines democracy as a “framework of governance built on the principle that power resides with the people.”

“In a democracy,” it states, “citizens exercise authority either directly or indirectly through elected representatives, ensuring that government decisions reflect the collective will of the people while protecting their individual rights.”

Key points to note here are that democracy is specific about the location of power—which is in the people as a collective—and that the vote itself is not central, but the participation through representatives—meant to work for us and in our best interests—so that our collective will is the driver of decision-making processes and their outcomes.

Democracy gives us individual rights and collective power.

What does democracy require of us?

Democracy Without Borders states it this way: “practical elements of a flourishing democracy are generally agreed to be a strong civil society, an active and unrestricted press, a strong and fair legal system, checks and balances on power and free and fair elections.”

Rather than pressure people to cast a ballot for the sake of a limited understanding of democracy, why not assess the effectiveness of nongovernmental organizations, media organizations, law enforcement, and the judicial system? How are they regarded by the candidates? How have they been (dis)engaged by the current and past administrations? How can individual citizens act to strengthen and better resources these entities and systems? How can they be better leveraged for the advancement of the country and the enrichment of the people? What have you left undone over the past five years? What could you have done differently since 2021, or even since 2017, to have a high level of civic participation and influence on governance?

Focus on your own participation in democracy, areas for personal and national growth, and actions you can take or initiate now and continue throughout the next term. It’s a much better use of time and energy, and will certainly have a greater impact on democracy, governance, and the Bahamian people than unleashing bullying tactics on people who are likely to prefer deeper engagement.

What should we do?

To people voting for the first time: Consider all the options. Learn about the candidates and the parties (where relevant) that they represent. Identify for your key issues. Where do the candidates stand on them? What do their track records tell you about their positions or what are most likely to be their positions? When you have the opportunity, engage with them directly. Ask specific questions about the issues that are important to you. Take note of their responses. Notice the parts the emphasize, the parts they ignore, and the connection between their responses and their stated values.

To people disappointed by the options: Make the effort to show up anyway. Learn about the candidates and the parties (where relevant) that they represent. Do any of them come into alignment with your values? Are any of them speaking to the issues that are important to you? If you see no reason to vote for any of them, let your discontent be known. Instead of staying away from the polls and being misunderstood in the statistics--considered apathetic--let it be known that you reject the options. Spoil your ballot and be counted.

To people pressuring others to vote: Focus on your own ballot. Learn about the candidates and the parties (where relevant) that they represent. Be clear on their positions with regard to issues that are important to you. When you encounter someone who does not intend to vote, encourage them to show up anyway. Acknowledge that there are many other ways to participate in democracy, while presenting the option to spoil their ballots. This way, they can be counted and their discontent can be registered, if only by the people in the room at the time of the count.

Do not, under any circumstances, reduce democracy to a single activity that only occurs once every five years.

Recommendations

Register to vote. To register to vote, an applicant must prove Bahamian citizenship and that they are 18 years or older. A Bahamian passport is the preferred document, though an applicant may present a Bahamian birth certificate along with government-issued ID and the applicants’ mother’s Bahamian passport, birth certificate, or voter’s card. Those who registered to vote in the last election and hold a purple voter’s card do not need to register again. Those who moved since the last election need to register to vote in their new constituency. Visit elections.gov.bs to view the available information online, email prdelections@bahamas.gov.bs, or call (242) 397-2000.

Support the 40 for 40 initiative to donate books to the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for Girls. Make a donation of $20 in cash at Rabble! Bookshop in Poinciana Paper Press, 12 Parkgate Road, Thursday through Saturday between 11am and 3pm, or visit tiny.cc/april40for40 for other options.

Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority. This anthology of nature poetry, edited by Mona Arshi and Karen McCarthy Woolf, is the Feminist Book Club pick for this month. Join Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press in reading this book and discussing it on Wednesday, April 22 at 6pm. The collection calls us to “reconsider nature poetry from global-majority perspectives” and its themes include the climate crisis and the Anthropocene, urban nature, solitude and alienation, protest and radical empathy, and Indigenous wisdom and alternative histories.” Bernadine Evaristo called it “an exquisitely profound and groundbreaking testament to our natural world by many of the most powerful poetic voices of our times.” Olive Senior and Kei Miller are among the Caribbean poets whose work appears in Nature Matters. Join the discussion on April 22 at Poinciana Paper Press, 12 Parkgate Road. For Feminist Book Club updates, register at tiny.cc/fbc2026.