One party promises respect and care for the less advantaged, publicly funded health care with major investments to reduce waiting times, smaller class sizes for students, maintaining and developing a highly-skilled workforce. Another Alberta party promises a sustainable health care system, community policing and crime prevention, and a better deal for Alberta seniors. A third party wants vibrant communities, top-notch post-secondary schools, a highly educated workforce, attracting new business, and support for emerging technologies.

These are actual promises from the three parties now represented in the Legislature. Is there even one item here with which a Liberal, Tory or New Democrat - or anyone else - would disagree? With vague platitudes like these, is it any wonder that many Albertans can't be bothered to vote?

The sad fact is that provincial elections are personality contests in which issues are deliberately placed on the back burner. On November 22 Albertans will not have a direct or meaningful say on electricity deregulation, natural gas rebates, taxpayer funding of abortion, car insurance reform, VLTs, spending control legislation, the Heritage Fund, ways to improve our health care and education systems, or anything else. These issues - and every other issue - are decided behind closed doors by the premier, cabinet and government caucus, without direct input from citizens.

Contrast Alberta's issue-less personality contest with the direct say on public policy enjoyed by voters south of the border.

In Nevada, Wyoming and Oregon, citizens voted on proposals to place limits on non-economic "pain and suffering" damages in medical malpractice cases. Oregon voters rejected a proposal to ban logging in some state forests, and approved a measure requiring the government to compensate landowners when government regulations reduce land values. Colorado voters supported a tobacco tax increase while rejecting a proposal to allocate its Electoral College votes based on the percentage of popular vote received by each presidential candidate. New Mexico voters approved a proposal to expand the property tax exemption for honourably discharged veterans. Floridians approved measures to establish a minimum wage, limit trial lawyers' profits on medical liability cases, require parental notification for minors having abortions, and expand patients' access to their own medical records. Voters in eleven states approved initiatives to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Californians voted on stem cell research, an extra 1% tax on annual income exceeding one million dollars, and changes to its existing "three strikes" incarceration law. Alaskans voted on initiatives to legalize marijuana, to ban bear baiting, and to require that Senate vacancies be filled through a by-election rather than the Governor's appointment. Maine voters rejected a measure to reduce property taxes. Michigan voters supported a law requiring local voter approval for gambling expansion. Montanans said ‘no' to open-pit mining using cyanide to leach gold and silver from ore, ‘yes' to medicinal marijuana, ‘no' to watering down their term limits law, and ‘yes' to a tobacco tax increase. Nebraskans rejected proposals to expand gambling in their state. Oklahomans supported the creation of a state lottery, with proceeds going into a trust fund for education. South Dakota voters rejected a proposal to exempt food from the state's sales tax.

Although Ralph Klein praised direct democracy at the United Alternative conference in Ottawa in 1999, his own government has never introduced legislation to give Albertans the right to initiate and vote in referendums on issues of their choice. Nor has he supported any of the four citizens' initiative bills brought forward by MLAs in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001.

There is no reason why Alberta can't join Switzerland, New Zealand, many U.S. states, British Columbia and other jurisdictions which empower their citizens through direct democracy. So far in this election, over 200 candidates in 83 ridings have declared their support for a citizen-initiated referendum law for Alberta. It's up to Albertans to vote for politicians who will vote for a law to empower Albertans.