Why Don’t More Voters Care About The Municipal Election?

Canada’s largest city has an embarrassingly low voter turnout with just 40 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot in Toronto’s last election.

Perhaps the island airport, violent crime, or rising property taxes haven’t lit a fire in your belly prompting you to march fervently to your ward’s all-candidates meeting and while the issues aren’t on some Torontonians’ minds, for others, the candidates and incumbents aren’t even close to being on the radar screen.

When asked if she knew who David Miller was, University of Toronto student Ae Kyung said she’s “not sure”.

Others claim they simply don’t have the time to exercise their democratic right and one of the only chances they have to inspire change.

Outgoing city councillor Gay Cowbourne (Ward 44 Scarborough East) believes city officials may draw more people to the polls with some minor adjustments to the way we vote.

“Everybody is so busy. Perhaps if the polls were open a little later or if it was a two-day process. That might help,” she said.

While many Torontonians may fancy themselves politically and culturally savvy creatures, we have much to learn from our cousins in the far north. In the last provincial election in the Yukon 72 percent of eligible voters turned out to make their voices heard at the polls.

“There is a personal relationship that exists between the electorate and its politicians. Political parties really push to get out the vote,” said the territory’s chief electoral officer Patrick Michael.

If the situation doesn’t improve in Toronto, city officials may want to take a cue from Australia where voting is mandatory.

Hopefully the city’s own Election Day campaign will prompt people to get out and mark a ballot. You can choose your city councillor and the mayor on Nov. 13.

For more on the upcoming election, click here.

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