CKL voter turnout was like 2014

City of Kawartha Lakes officials say data from the Oct. 23 municipal election reveals that despite the change in number of councillors, new ward boundaries and an electronic voting platform, the election produced very similar results as the last election in 2014.

“We saw the voting turnout in Kawartha Lakes of 38 per cent slightly beat the provincial average of 37.5 per cent," said city clerk Cathie Ritchie. "All municipalities would like to see a higher voting turnout, but we’re seeing a steady trend of less than half of qualified electors casting their vote."

Non-residents (seasonal residents) represent 20 per cent of all eligible voters in Kawartha Lakes. Only 20 per cent of nonresidents voted compared to 42 per cent of residents.

There was a clear preference for online voting (78 per cent) as opposed to telephone voting (16 per cent), with the minority of voters (six per cent) preferring to vote on a tablet either at a municipal service centre, library or a long-term care home.

The age group that had the highest voter turnout was 70-79year-olds (54 per cent turnout), followed closely by 60-69-yearolds (50 per cent turnout). Only 22 per cent of eligible voters aged 18-29 voted. In total, 25,280 votes were cast in the election out of a total 66,441 eligible voters.

The busiest voting day was Oct. 22, the original election day, with 5,375 ballots cast. In the 24-hour extension period, an additional 2,730 votes were cast.

“The technical issue with our voting system, despite having a negative impact on candidates and some voters, may have had a silver lining," said Ritchie. "Lastminute voters were given an extra 24 hours, ensuring everyone had an opportunity to vote."

Additional statistics are available at on the city's website.