NOTL wins voter turnout
St. Catharines ranks 12th — last place across the region
St. Catharines again had the lowest voter turnout in the region for the municipal elections while Niagara-on-the-Lake had the largest turnout since 2000.
Across Niagara, 39 per cent of eligible voters went to the polls, based on statistics for eligible voters and ballots cast provided by each of the 12 lower-tier municipalities.
Niagara-on-the-Lake drew 8,349 or its 14,213 eligible voters to the polls — a whopping 58.74 per cent turnout. Town clerk Peter Todd said Niagara-on-the-Lake consistently has one of the higher turnout rates in the region.
“This year I think there were many factors, it’s hard to just pinpoint one,” he said, adding there was a pretty interesting mayoral race. “We had good weather down here so that’s always a factor that plays into it as well. A highly contested mayoral race though, is always a pretty significant factor.”
Todd said the town had a greater presence on social media this year and worked with a good network of clerks across the region to get information out to voters.
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s turnout was about 10 percentage points higher than in 2014.
There was also a strong showing in Pelham, which saw 50.44 per cent of its 14,264 eligible voters cast ballots. Turnout was up
from 44.33 per cent in 2014.
That town had a vacant seat for mayor that was vied for by three candidates and won by Marvin Junkin.
Another vacant mayor’s seat was in Wainfleet, which had the third highest turnout in the region with almost half of its electors at the polls. The township saw 2,879 of its 5,929 eligible voters come out, a turnout of 48.56 per cent. Kevin Gibson won the seat out of six candidates.
Wainfleet CAO and clerk William Kolasa said turnout was down marginally from 52.57 per cent in 2014.
The strong showing comparatively in the region could be due in part to the vote by mail option residents have.
Kolasa said the alternative voting method acknowledged by the Municipal Elections Act, vote by mail involves sending ballots to all eligible voters in early October. They can mark ballots themselves, place them into secrecy envelopes which go into a return envelope with a signed declaration, and are returned to the township.
“The numbers in vote by mail are usually a little better. It’s an easier way for a lot of people to vote,” he said. “Some people aren’t altogether happy with the processes, but it is a tried, tested and true way of doing things.”
In St. Catharines, Niagara’s largest municipality, the turnout was a mere 33.64 per cent with only 31,021 of an eligible 92,226 voters at the polls. Welland was close at hand with 34 per cent turnout and Thorold had 36.07 per cent to round out the bottom three.
Other municipalities were West Lincoln with 38.4 per cent, Lincoln and Niagara Falls were just more than 39 per cent each, Fort Erie at 41.08 per cent, Grimsby with 43.78 per cent and Port Colborne with 42.8 per cent turnout. Average voter turnout across the entire province was being calculated by the Association of Municipalities Ontario on Tuesday. Of the 260 of 444 municipalities that had reported numbers thus far, there was an average 45 per cent turnout.