The February 27 Ontario provincial election saw a slight rebound of sorts in voter turnout. Last Thursday, voter turnout was 45.4 per cent, up from the record low in 2022 of 44 per cent. Less than half of the voting population of the province took part in this election. Why? Why did the majority of Ontarians stay silent this election? There are a few key places to lay blame.
The electorate was disengaged, or in many cases, distracted. People have busy lives, and with life becoming more-and-more expensive, work and taking care of the family is more important than taking time to vote. If you are focused on putting food on the table, and working to pay the evermore expensive bills, it can be challenging to also tune in and engage with political candidates or the process. Many want to unplug or disengage after having deal with life’s problems — rather than talk about them more.
Politics in Ontario and in Canada have become boring for many. The options are tired and increasingly negative. The same parties talking over one another. Party after party bashing another for past mistakes. There is a lack of genuine candidates, leaders, and parties, that people believe can effect change. The political parties are largely to blame for this. In some ridings, party riding associations are non-existent until it is election time. A number of parties parachute in non-resident candidates into some ridings just to ensure a full slate. This was not for the riding or voters’ benefit, but to keep the provincial vote subsidy for the party as high as possible. Two of the four major parties in Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry had parachute candidates. If the party is not going to show up in the local riding, why should voters?
There is also a lack of civics, of civic pride, in the province. We know this from community organizations and local sports that volunteerism is also low. Many would rather pay their fee for a program or make their donation, and carry on with life — than help out. This also affects voting. Those who take a transactional approach do not engage with the community or feel any form of engagement towards it. That affects voting because feeling like your vote does not matter makes it easier to not bother to vote in the first place.
Elections Ontario can also shoulder some of the blame with this specific election. As the non-partisan office of the Ontario legislature responsible for running elections, they did not get timely information out to voters very well. The office is supposed to be prepared for any chance of an election, but were clearly caught short by Premier-elect Doug Ford’s snap election call. Many voters reported not receiving their voter information cards until the week of voting, if at all. Some polls had issues with staff training or recruiting enough staff. And there was a lack of advertising to get out the vote.
It is not all negative. Despite the second lowest voter turnout by percentage, over five million Ontarians did go to the polls. That is the second highest number of people to ever vote in a provincial election here. But it should be a lot higher. Many countries fight for the right to vote and participate in democracy. In a world full of conflict and dissention, it really matters that people make their voices heard. If you did not. vote, you are also responsible for what happens the next four years.