What made voter turnout increase?

What made voter turnout increase?
By SARA ROSS, THE PACKET & TIMES October 27 2010
An intriguing mayoral race and engaged Orillians set the stage for a spike in voter turnout in this municipal election.
With just over half of eligible voters casting ballots, Orillia hasn’t seen such a strong showing since 1988 when 53.56% of eligible citizens had their say.
Monday’s election drew 11,201 voters. With 21,973 registered voters, turnout this year was 50.98%.
In the 2006 Orillia municipal election, the voter turnout was about 38% — 9,137 of 24,081 potential voters cast their vote.
Former cabinet minister and MP for this area Doug Lewis kick-started the election campaign in January by launching a series of town-hall meetings.
His focus was on the theory that everybody has the responsibility to run themselves, encourage somebody to run, or support somebody who is going to run.
“People have to take an interest in the city or it just rolls along and does what it wants,” Lewis said on Tuesday.
Lewis credited The Packet & Times election coverage for also contributing to the voter influx.
“As (people) were (announcing their candidacy), you guys did a great job and the coverage has just been fantastic,” he said. “I think that speaks to the turnout as well.”
The local campaign found a place online when two Orillians created Orillia’s Wishlist, a Facebook page sparking political discussion between residents and candidates. Created by Debbie Smith and Sarah-Jane Valiquette on Oct. 1, the page had more than 600 members by election day.
“I know for sure there is a lot of people on our wishlist that went out and voted,” Valiquette said. “It raised more awareness and people got more excited and that enticed them to go to the polls.”
Encouraged by Ward 1 councillor-elect Patrick Kehoe, the group will remain in place despite the election wrapping up, she said.
“I hope we can continue building that momentum of community engagement,” Valiquette said.
Lakehead University students played a role in increasing voter turnout by directing their attention to those facing voting barriers, said organizer Tawnia Robinson Healy.
The five students, in partnership with the City of Orillia, held an information session at the Orillia and District Literacy Council. “I think we had a good chance to speak with some folks who hadn’t even ever got out to vote before,” Robinson Healy said.
To ensure those with low literacy skills felt comfortable casting their vote the students informed them of what the polling stations would be like and ran through a mock ballot.
“We tried to tell them exactly what it was going to be like,” Robinson Healy said. “People were so excited.”
The city put additional effort into the election by offering free transit to polling stations and setting up an information booth at the Orillia Farmers’ Market.
“There certainly has been mechanisms put in place for this particular election in terms of trying to engage the public and increase the voter turnout,” city clerk Gayle Jackson told The Packet last week