Will you vote?
Posted Sep 30, 2010 04:14:48 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
We’re a few weeks away from making another trip to the polls.
But if this municipal election is anything like the last one, only about a quarter of eligible voters in the region are willing to pick their local leaders.
In 2006, only about 27 per cent of people voted in the municipal election in Waterloo Region. That’s not even half as good a turnout as the federal election, which in 2008, saw 54 per cent of Canadians cast a ballot.
Political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier Barry Kay says that without a party system to provide cues to voters, people are uninformed and are less likely to participate in the process.
However, he says some hot button issues can attract more voters, like the RIM Park spending scandal.
This time around, the light rail issue or amalgamation question could draw more interest in the election.
Some people say it’s important for them to vote because it allows them to complain. Others tell 570 News that they are indifferent.
ADVANCE POLLS OPEN THIS WEEKEND
