I have to say, it took me the better part of yesterday to figure out that an election had been called in Canada. The only reason I even clued in was because Rick Mercer had written a blog post that was in my inbox yesterday morning when I woke up. And even after reading that, it wasn't until late afternoon as I was getting ready to leave work for the day that I thought, "Wait a second..."

So I ventured over to CBC.ca, naturally assuming that if an election had been called, it would be the top story on the front page. Silly me, I've been in the U.S. for over a year now, where one facet or another of the presidential election has made top news headlines since last summer -- and the election here isn't until November. At 5 p.m. PDT yesterday, though, prime "real estate" on CBC.ca's front page included Wheel of Fortune being on at 5:30 p.m. (6 in Newfoundland), coverage of the Canadian Country Music Awards, and something about discovering online fun with Gofrette. And on the CBCNews.ca section below it, left-side of the page? Some stock image of a dude yelling at his cell phone and a headline for and link to the accompanying story, which was obviously more important than the future of the country.

When I checked again this morning, CBC.ca had remedied their temporary lapse in news value judgment and was giving much more prominence to election coverage. Having said that, though, I can't really blame them for yesterday. When you call an election in September for October 14, the DAY AFTER CANADIAN THANKSGIVING, when a lot of people have likely already made travel plans and will either have to vote early or not vote at all, I can't say that it reflects well on a certain political party taking the notion of democracy all that seriously. Good job trying to set the stage for low voter turnout, an admirable election strategy. (And by admirable, I mean... well, you fill in the blank.)

I have to say that I truly like how the U.S. political system works, leading up to a presidential election. The political parties take it very seriously, as do the news media. Even though I've always been heavily interested in politics, I've never been so informed about the candidates, their positions on issues, and, well, everything they've eaten or worn this week, or as excited about an election -- and I can't even vote here.

But I can vote in Canada, and no thanks to the blink-and-you'll-miss-it campaign time, I will be voting via an absentee ballot. All Canadians outside of the country, remember to visit Election Canada's website to complete your absentee ballot application form. I don't care who you vote for, just VOTE -- don't let their choice of election day and 5 1/2 week campaign time make a mockery of the democratic system.

And if you're looking for some great reading, check out Rick Mercer's latest blog post about the election, "Lights, Camera, Action!"