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Political expert expects voter turnout to be up

BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN More people will probably vote in the municipal election Monday than in past years because there are three credible candidates running for mayor, according to a Laurentian University political science professor.

BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN

More people will probably vote in the municipal election Monday than in past years because there are three credible candidates running for mayor, according to a Laurentian University political science professor.


“When there is a less of a controversial race, people tend to say ‘What difference can I make?’,” says Richard Theoret, a specialist in federal, provincial and municipal politics.

“But when there’s a good race like this time, my personal feeling is that the voter turnout will go up next week.”

As of Wednesday, there were 128,186 eligible voters in Greater Sudbury. Voters can register on Election Day at the poll providing they have proper identification and proof of residency such as a bill.


There are 68 polls in Greater Sudbury and some 780 workers on Election Day ensuring the process goes smoothly.

In the municipal election in 2003, 42 percent of the adult population in Greater Sudbury voted.

Theoret said he thinks the participation rate might go up another five percent Monday.

 The same thing is happening in Ottawa, where there are also three strong contenders for the mayor’s job, he says.

The advanced polls bode well for a strong voter turnout Nov. 13.

After three days of advanced voting on Oct. 28-30, 6,752 people came out to cast their ballot. In the 2003 municipal election, only 4,067 people made their mark in six days of advanced voting.

But even if the voter turnout goes up, the professor says he has “a problem as a democrat that many people do not use their right to vote.”

We need to find innovative ways to get more people to participate in the election, Theoret says.

He likes the idea of advanced voting because it gives people a longer period of time to cast their ballots.

Many rural municipalities in Ontario have also been using mail-in ballots in recent years to great success,
Sturgeon Falls used mail-in ballots in the last election, and 70 percent of the population voted, says Theoret.

Internet voting is also being used in many areas, he says.

Municipal politicians are also less powerful than their provincial and federal counterparts, and people tend to care less what they do, says Theoret.

“We know that whatever the council decides, it may be overturned by the provincial government. That’s certainly one factor. People say ‘It doesn’t matter who is there.’

“For example, with amalgamation, it was imposed by Queen’s Park. It wasn’t a local decision.”

In Greater Sudbury, an automatic election tabulator will be used to count votes. Results could be in as early 8:30 pm. They will be available at the city’s election website.

There is only an automatic recount in any contest if there is a tie. The recount is not hand-counted but done by the electronic tabulator.

A candidate can make a request to council for a recount in a close race.



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