It's fine to post this question here. The challenge of choosing to vote locally, based on your sentiments about local candidates vs. the national party or leader, is one that all voters grapple with.

In fact, many Conservatives justify their continuing support for the party, despite the odious reputation of its leader and government, based on their affinity for the local candidate... regardless of that candidate's actual performance record.

I'm thankfully saved from the anguish of making a hard decision between the two leftist parties because the NDP candidate in my riding will find it impossible not to win.

Others will really feel the pain, because, if they are "conservative", they will have to decide between a Conservative government that has betrayed and lied to them as much as everyone else, and one of two leftist parties that the discredited Conservative government tells them will govern as poorly as they themselves actually have.

If you are a progressive, you will have to decide between two parties that currently appear to have an equal degree of support, but , as a consequence, because of the peculiarity of our electoral system, almost ensures the victory of a Conservative government that a statistical minority actually want.

To avoid this worst-case scenario, progressives may have to vote "strategically" not for the party they actually want to win, but for the leftist party that has the better chance of gaining the most votes in the most ridings.

The place to start is with your local candidates. Review their performance vs. what they say and its credibility, and you will quickly come to your own conclusions as to their personal worthiness of your trust. Then do the same thing for the parties and their leaders, after which you will have a sense as to which side of the political spectrum you reside - conservative or progressive.

For this election, as previously described, it then gets complex. Indeed, this is an interesting election in which to come of age, but, if you can get interested enough to do the work that gets you informed, for the rest of your life, during every election, you will live with the satisfaction of knowing that you did what democracy requires of you to help govern our country and keep it safe, and that is no small thing in an otherwise dangerous world where few can boast having this good fortune.

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