How to Boost Turnout in Municipal Elections

While the turnout for Vancouver’s municipal election was slightly higher this year (35%) than in 2008 (31%), it remained below the 40% mark for the third consecutive time. This means that practically two thirds of eligible voters decided to stay home on election day. The low level of participation raises many questions about what politicians and citizens could do in order to ensure that more people take part in civic elections.

turnout How to Boost Turnout in Municipal Elections

One possibility would be to change the election date. When people in British Columbia vote federally and provincially, they do so on a weekday. Employers must allow workers ample time to cast their ballot. Municipal elections are held on a Saturday, and at a time when cold and rain usually dominate the forecast around the province. Voting in April or September, and having half a weekday to do so, may lead more people to the polling stations. It would also provide better weather for candidates and volunteers who knock on doors during the campaign.

Municipal elections rely on electronic features more than provincial or federal political processes. This is essential because we select a mayor, council members, parks commissioners and school trustees—and approve borrowing measures—instead of just a single MLA or MP. Still, there should be an opportunity to cast ballots in a different manner. The two current leaders of British Columbia’s main provincial political parties were selected through the use of telephones and the Internet. Online voting has been implemented with great success in Switzerland, not as a replacement for the traditional paper ballot, but as a way to provide more options to the population. These internet voting experiences have both guaranteed the confidentiality of the process, and ensured that no tampering occurs.

At least 10 countries around the world have enacted legislation that enforces compulsory voting, basically compelling citizens to show up at the polling station. There are different ways to discipline the non-voter. In Brazil, having voted in elections may become a pre-requisite for a passport to be issued, so international trips for non-voters could be delayed for years. In Australia, where compulsory voting has been in place since 1924, citizens are not required to choose a candidate if they do not want to, but must make their way to the polling station to cross their name off the list and show that they took part. It is not their right, but their duty.

The final aspect that could boost turnout is a concerted effort to discuss municipal issues. While many provincial and federal elections can usually be assessed using the Ronald Reagan aphorism of 1980 (“Are you better off than you were four years ago?”), civic elections present a different challenge. News about municipal issues end up taking a back seat to provincial and federal politics, even with majority governments in both Victoria and Ottawa.

In order to engage more people, municipal issues must be given a more prominent role in media coverage. Regrettably, this space has recently been dominated—at least on the web—by advertisements for political parties disguised as blogs. These efforts end up being half bad at journalism and half bad at political advocacy, making them a complete disservice to the voters. Both incumbents and opposition must find ways to explain their course of action, without resorting to personal attacks and unfounded accusations, as the decisions are being made—and not just when the election is a few weeks away.

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