People arriving at a polling station in Vaughan, Ont., On June 2. Political observers say the main reason for low voter turnout is that none of the parties has made a convincing argument in the minds of many voters. Fred Loom / Globe and Mail
Ontario turnout set a new record in this week’s provincial election, showing that political scientists attribute the lack of a problem to pandemic fatigue.
Only 43% of eligible voters voted in Thursday’s provincial election, well below 56.7% in 2018. This week’s turnout is well below the previous record low of 48.2 % in 2011
“This is not a good sign for our democracy. “I don’t think anyone should say that our democracy is healthy,” said John Beebe, founder of the Democratic Exchange of Commitments at the University of Toronto Metropolitan.
Historically low turnout contrasts sharply with typical Ontario voting habits. In the last 100 years, more than half of eligible voters – and as many as three-quarters – voted in the provincial elections, with the exception of 2011.
Staying at unprecedented levels at home, Ontario residents have dealt a significant blow to the total number of votes of progressive conservatives and the NDP.
Prime Minister Doug’s PC party was re-elected with 83 seats out of just under 1.9 million Ontarians, approximately 430,000 fewer votes than the party received in the 2018 election.
The New Democrats won 31 seats with almost 1.1 million votes, down 830,000 from 2018.
The Liberals secured only eight seats with 1.1 million votes, roughly the same amount as in the previous election.
Political observers say the main reason for the low turnout is that none of the parties has made a convincing argument in the minds of many voters.
Mike Moffat, an assistant at Ivey Business School, said the campaign was dominated by small messages that are unlikely to provoke strong feelings, other than PC Party’s controversial plan to build Highway 413 in the western Greater Toronto area.
“I’m looking at what the Liberals were proposing in particular, you know, the message there was basic: Ford is ruining Ontario, so vote for us and we’ll give you 25 cents on your grilled chicken,” he said.
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Mr Beebe said factors contributing to lower turnout included a lack of a dominant divisive issue, opposition party leaders who failed to inspire voter turnout, and pandemic fatigue.
“There was certainly no problem with the wedge and there was no galvanizing leader,” he said.
Nelson Wiseman, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, was optimistic about low voter turnout, saying it could show a level of satisfaction.
Prof. Wiseman said Ontario voters were often less likely to vote in the province than at the federal level, and also less likely to vote than residents in many other provinces. He attributes this to the tendency among Ontario residents to look at themselves through the prism of Canada, not the countryside.
“Here you are in the heart of the national force,” he said.
Across Canada, turnout has fallen in some other provinces that held elections after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. Fewer voters voted in Newfoundland, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Nova Scotia had moderately higher turnout last summer.
However, Ontario’s record low turnout is not the lowest in the province in recent years. In Alberta, only 40.6% of eligible voters cast their ballots in 2008.
Some other jurisdictions have adopted electoral strategies to promote citizen engagement, such as incentives, punishment, or both.
Voting in the state and federal elections in Australia gradually became mandatory in the 20th century with modest fines for non-compliance. But the country is also seeking to turn the vote into an event, with barbecue stands offering so-called “democracy sausages”.
While first-after-electoral systems tend to form stable governments – often rewarding the support of minority with a majority in the legislature – critics say they make it difficult for supporters of small parties to have a voice.
During the Ontario election campaign, the NDP and the Greens promised proportional representation. The Liberals have promised to move to a preferential voting system that takes into account the second and third choices if no candidate wins a majority.
However, such electoral reform seems unlikely in Ontario. Mr Ford, whose party received 41 per cent of the vote and will hold two-thirds of the seats in the legislature, rejected any proposals for change on Friday, saying the system “will continue to work”.
With a report by Dustin Cook
GENERAL ELECTIONS IN ONTARIO, 2018 VS. 2022
Number of votes
candidate won by
Number of votes
candidate won by
Note: Data for 2022 are as of June 3, 8:22 a.m. (ET).
MURAT YUXELIR / GLOSS AND POST,
SOURCE: ONTARIO ELECTIONS; CANADIAN PRESS
GENERAL ELECTIONS IN ONTARIO, 2018 VS. 2022
Number of votes
candidate won by
Number of votes
candidate won by
Note: Data for 2022 are as of June 3, 8:22 a.m. (ET).
MURAT YUXELIR / GLOSS AND POST,
SOURCE: ONTARIO ELECTIONS; CANADIAN PRESS
GENERAL ELECTIONS IN ONTARIO, 2018 VS. 2022
Number of votes
candidate won by
Note: Data for 2022 are as of June 3, 8:22 a.m. (ET).
MURAT YUXELIR / GLOSS AND POST, SOURCE: ONTARIO ELECTIONS; CANADIAN PRESS
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