In a remarkable turn of events, a Canadian has achieved a historic milestone: failing to secure a single vote in a contested federal election. Félix-Antoine Hamel showed up to protest the lack of electoral reforms in his country.
“When I saw the result, I said to myself: ‘Well, I’m the real candidate for unity. “Everyone agrees not to vote for me,” Hamel told CBC News.
Hamel was one of 84 candidates in a recent by-election in Toronto. He was approached by the Longest Ballot Commission. The group advocates for electoral reforms and nominated him as its candidate.
According to the Longest Vote Commission, the current system skews power in favor of parties with a minority of votes. In protest, the group managed to put 77 names on the ballot in Toronto. That brought the total to 84 and slowed the vote count in Monday’s closely watched election. The ballot was one meter long – the longest in Canadian history.
The unusual length of the vote meant that some stages took longer than usual. “Delays increased throughout the evening,” said a spokesperson for the electoral authority.
When the results were finalized, six other candidates each received two votes. However, Hamel was the only candidate who did not receive a single vote.
Hamel lives hundreds of kilometres from the Montreal riding. That means his place of residence is clearly “outside Toronto,” which means he couldn’t even vote for himself.
In previous federal elections there have also been no-vote results. But in these cases, the candidates faced no opposition and were therefore declared winners. This is the first time someone has received zero votes – and lost.
Hamel concluded: “I am one of the last people who could be expected to leave their mark on Canadian history in one way or another. »
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