Council must engage public to raise voter turnout

October 28 2010 Simcoe.com editorial
It’s all over but the crying.
Based on voter turnout alone, Monday’s municipal election played an insignificant role in the lives of the vast majority of residents.
We’re too busy to bother to vote, never mind find the time to figure out for whom to vote. Others say they don’t like any of the choices or admit they’re cynical about politics, in general.
Bottom line, our council-elects will return to their tables and the business of running our municipalities with a mandate from the few.
Our municipal elections continue to make a mockery of democracy, with turnout of eligible voters hovering in the range of 40 per cent, despite our booming population.
In Toronto, voter turnout was a record 53.2 per cent, demonstrating that perhaps what’s needed to galvanize voters is a message that strikes a chord or creates a sense of urgency. Mayor-elect Rob Ford’s no-holds-barred campaign mantra of “Stop the gravy train” of government overspending, waste and entitlement got exhausted Toronto taxpayers off the couch.
Is it fair, then, to assume Bradford West Gwillimbury’s taxpayers are a content bunch? Not only did electoral participation remain low, five incumbents retained their seats.
The question that remains is if the apathetic, ambivalent and busy came out to the polls, would the results be different? Or are residents voting for the status quo when they don’t vote?
In Richmond Hill, turnout remained low at a dismal 29 per cent.
In Markham, despite an $80,000 social media awareness campaign and online voting, turnout was 35.5 per cent, down from 37.6 in 2006 (which, by the way, was a high point, up from 26.7 in 2003).
Vaughan had among the highest voter turnout in the region at 40 per cent. The city, which arguably had the most scandal-plagued and dysfunctional council, was one of the few to see dramatic change in its leadership. The mayor and four longtime incumbents were trounced.
Can we assume, then, that an urgent desire for change motivates eligible voters?
Hard to explain a turnout of 38.5 per cent — up .5 per cent — in Aurora, another council in which the conduct of mayors and councillors drew unwelcome headlines. Aurora also saw significant change, with a new mayor and five of eight councillors rookies.
In the long run, Vaughan’s increased participation could be attributed to new, convenient locations for voting at shopping malls and York University. In fact, more people voted at Vaughan Mills — 682 — than at many 2006 polls, some of which saw less than 100 ballots cast.
What more can we do to get residents to care? Pour more taxpayer dollars into bigger and better awareness campaigns? Lure voters through tax incentives or free pizza coupons?
The reality is voter participation won’t increase if citizens aren’t engaged with their governments. Rather than focusing on getting them out to the polls on election day every four years, our political leaders need to become more accessible and accountable 365 days a year.