Kim Fortin
What is a vote worth? Artist Kim Fortin auctioned “In Case of Democracy Break Glass” on eBay in an attempt to find out. The auction closed September 20 6:30pm with a high bid of $36.
For more information check out the links or the write up below.
The Artwork
Artist Kim Fortin is auctioned an artwork called In Case of Democracy Break Glass. The piece considers the value of citizens’ votes in the current Canadian Federal Election and the viability of the current electoral system in Canada.
The piece itself consists of a wall mount emergency fire extinguisher cabinet. The glass of the cabinet displays red text reading “In Case of Democracy Break Glass.” The lock and keys of the cabinet are disabled, requiring the glass to be broken in order to access the artist’s ballot secured inside.
The auction ran until September 20, 6:30 pm MT. At this point, the successful bidder decided if there is more value in leaving the piece intact, or in breaking the glass and having the artist cast the ballot. The buyer chose for the artist to cast the ballot. Fortin broke the glass, retrieved the ballot, then fill it out in front of her local polling station where she then delivered it.
The Idea of futility
As the 2021 election inspired Fortin to reflect on her role as a voter and the various courses of action she could take, she began to sense a lack of options in which her vote would be of any consequence.
The first past the post system renders votes for losing candidates essentially worthless. To not vote is to give up one’s say altogether. A riding may have a lack of candidates with whom one’s values align. Many find that while their values may align with a party, the candidate in their riding is unsatisfactory, or there may not be a candidate from that party running in their riding. Declined ballots, while legislated for provincial elections in some provinces, are not available in federal elections. There is also a precedent of using one’s ballot for protest, for example the Edible Ballot Society, however, it has been ineffective so far in actually affecting change.
For the average citizen, it is impossible to affect change in the system. With the cost of campaigning often exceeding $100,000 without taking into account time off work, running for politics is inaccessible for the majority of Canadians. On top of this, those with lower incomes generally lack the social connections necessary to run a successful campaign.
With this in mind, the piece took form by September 10, 2021 in order to pose the question, What is the value of a vote? The auction closed September 20th at 6:30pm, MT, one hour before polls close.
Citizens’ right to a meaningful vote is the foundation of democracy. Many Canadians feel the current system leaves much to be desired in this respect. Fortin’s goal in the execution of this piece is to inspire her fellow citizens to demand productive change in the Canadian electoral system. She asks those who are moved by her piece to consider demanding the right to refuse a ballot, to have their voices heard.
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