No acclamations. Let’s vote.

There is something about local election season that gets me a little excited. Every four years we get the chance to look around our communities, think about what is working, complain about what is not and then decide what we are actually willing to do about it.

So this year, I have a challenge for Haida Gwaii: no acclamations. Let’s vote.

In the 2022 local elections, more than half of the municipal, regional district and school board positions representing Haida Gwaii were filled by acclamation. In Daajing Giids, where there was a real race for mayor, Lisa Pineault won by just five votes.

Five votes.

That is a pretty good reminder that local elections matter, and that putting your name on a ballot can matter too.

Nominations open Sept. 1 and close Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. for people considering a run for village council, the NCRD board or school board trustee. If you have spent the last few years saying someone should speak up, someone should fix something or someone should bring a different perspective to the table, maybe it is worth asking whether that someone could be you.

You do not need to know everything before you run. You need to care about your community, be willing to listen and learn, and be prepared to show up.

One of my favourite examples of that comes from right here on Haida Gwaii. One of our current mayors was encouraged by a friend to run and, as I remember the story, one of the promises involved helping bring a beer garden back to a community event. He was acclaimed and suddenly found himself mayor. Before long, he was involved in conversations with senior levels of government during one of the most significant periods in recent Haida Gwaii history, including discussions around Haida Title.

You really never know where putting your name forward will take you.

There is also one important difference between the 2022 election and this one: Haida Gwaii has a local print newspaper again.

That means municipalities have another place to publish nomination and election notices, and candidates have a local place to advertise, introduce themselves and share what they stand for.

Haida Gwaii News will offer space to anyone running for village council, the NCRD board or school board trustee to introduce themselves and tell readers why they are running and what matters to them. Reach out to me for details and submission deadlines.

Starting with our next edition, Haida Gwaii Literacy will also be helping us get into the local election with a three-edition feature aimed at making the process and the positions easier to understand.

But first, we need people willing to put their names forward.

Maybe you care about housing, roads, recreation, youth, seniors, schools, emergency preparedness or where your community is heading. Maybe you think things are going well and want to help keep them moving. Maybe you think something needs to change.

Whatever it is, consider stepping up.

No acclamations.

Let’s have an election.