Well, today I did it. I voted in Vancouver’s civic election, with our provincial election still waiting for me next Saturday.

At 68 years old, I’ve voted in quite a few elections, but this was the first time I can remember actually sitting down at a desk to complete my ballot. Once I saw what was in front of me, I understood why the chair was there.

There were 130 candidates running for the various positions, from mayor and council to school trustees and the Park Board. Add the questions about borrowing money for future projects and the other issues put before voters, and I had five pages of material to work through. They even colour coded the pages to help us find our way.

I went in to cast a vote and felt as though I’d been handed homework.

Once I finished, different portions went to different election workers, with the candidate ballot fed into an automated machine. To the credit of everyone working there, the process went surprisingly smoothly. The staff knew what they were doing, and I moved through fairly quickly.

Of course, that depends on knowing who you want to vote for before you arrive.

That’s the part I keep coming back to. How many people can reasonably say they understand the qualifications and positions of 130 candidates well enough to make informed choices across that entire ballot?

I take voting seriously, and I’m willing to do some homework. I also think there comes a point when the amount of research we expect from the average voter becomes unreasonable. People have lives outside an election campaign, and sorting through that many names takes a considerable amount of time.

Someone who has recently moved here has even more catching up to do. For someone still learning English, the wording of a lengthy borrowing question can present another obstacle before they’ve even considered whether they support it.

We encourage people to participate, then hand them something that can make the whole experience feel overwhelming. Surely we should be making it easier for people to understand what they’re being asked to decide.

I’m certainly not suggesting we prevent people from running for office. Anyone who meets the requirements should have that opportunity. My concern is how we organize the election and how much we expect voters to absorb at once.

There has to be a better way to manage this.

Perhaps some questions could be dealt with separately, provided that doesn’t simply create another election people have to find time to attend. Perhaps we need to take a serious look at how Vancouver elects its representatives. I don’t have a complete replacement system worked out, but I don’t think voters should need one before they’re allowed to say the current arrangement is too much.

The financial questions left me with another concern. I understand that asking permission to borrow money is different from asking whether the city should make a particular purchase. Taking on debt deserves scrutiny, especially when taxpayers will be paying the bill.

Even so, we elect people to oversee the city’s finances. We expect them to study the proposals and make responsible decisions on our behalf. When a borrowing question lands in front of me, I want enough clear information to understand what approving it will mean for my taxes and what happens if I vote against it.

A lengthy description on a ballot doesn’t automatically give me that understanding.

If we’re going to ask the public to make these decisions, there needs to be a much better explanation well before voting day. Otherwise, how much confidence can we really have that the answer reflects an informed choice?

Then there’s the timing. We finish the civic election today and head into a provincial election next Saturday. That’s a lot to ask of people in a very short period, particularly when the campaigns are competing for our attention.

What makes it more frustrating is how little direct contact we’ve had from the people asking for our votes.

At our home, we haven’t received the kind of candidate information I would have expected, and we haven’t had anyone at the door seeking our support, either municipally or provincially. I can only speak for our household, but that has been our experience.

Perhaps I’m old school. I remember when someone running for office made more of an effort to introduce themselves and explain why they deserved your vote. A conversation at the door gave you a chance to ask a question and get some sense of the person behind the campaign sign.

I realize a candidate can’t knock on every door in Vancouver. I also know information is available online. Still, there seems to be a growing expectation that voters will go looking for the people who want to represent them.

If you’re asking me to hire you for public office, I think some of that effort belongs with you.

I’m prepared to do my share, but I would like to feel that earning my vote matters enough for a candidate to reach out. Having a name on a ballot shouldn’t be the extent of the introduction.

Despite all of that, I’m glad I voted. The people running the polling place did their jobs well, and I appreciated their help. My frustration is with how much was packed into the decision we were there to make.

I did the best I could with the information I had. When the polls close tonight, we’ll find out who Vancouver has chosen, and then we’ll see what they do with the responsibility we’ve given them.

For now, my civic ballot is finished, and I can turn my attention to who gets my vote provincially next Saturday.

That’s a whole other story.