Mississauga residents need to get out and vote
Voters in Mississauga are heading back to the ballot box in a byelection to choose a new mayor and Ward 5 councillor less than two years after the municipality’s last election.
The city faces a pivotal moment as issues such as affordable housing and poverty are challenging the city’s 800,000 diverse residents, offering an even greater reason for residents to vote, but this election doesn’t come without its challenges.
Local newsrooms in Mississauga are a shell of what they used to be, making it difficult for residents to get information about what their elected officials are up to, and stay up-to-date during elections. When Bonnie Crombie, Mississauga’s former mayor and newly elected Ontario Liberal leader ran for mayor 10 years ago, the Mississauga News landed on the doorstep of most homes across the city, and now it is only available online. Even digital journalism has less of a reach as local news sites like in Sauga and the Toronto Star can’t disseminate important news on social media platforms such as Meta’s Facebook.
In 2022, Mississauga had a 21.8 per cent voter turnout rate. Four years prior, it was approximately 27 per cent. In 2014 — the year the late Mayor Hazel McCallion stepped down following 36 years in office as one of the longest-serving mayors in Canada — turnout was 36.57 per cent.
I’m sure there are a number of reasons for the low turnout. Apathy could be one, along with challenges getting to a polling station, lack of access to quality candidate information especially in our world riddled with misinformation, or difficulties managing multiple jobs, school, picking up children from daycare, and carrying out other adult responsibilities like making ends meet. Or, it could be that some deemed the last election wasn’t competitive enough for them to care. With the exception of the latter, these are all valid, real-world challenges that are difficult to overcome and shouldn’t be used to villainize those who didn’t show up at the ballot box.
Despite these challenges, this isn’t the time to be complacent and take voting for granted. Given the state of democracies around the world we should all be concerned and exercise our voting rights. Showing up at the voting booth is an act of active citizenship that is critical to protect our democracy.
Active citizenship involves the important act of making a meaningful choice as to which candidate best reflects your values and marking a ballot. From there it will look different to each person. To some, active citizenship can include engaging in mutual aid networks, volunteering, driving grandparents to vote, writing to an elected representative, signing a petition, attending community meetings, and so much more — but it must include the ballot box.
Mississauga is no longer the sleepy suburban community it was once known to be. It is Canada’s seventh largest city and will mark its 50th anniversary this year; it is home to several Fortune 500 companies and is now widely developed.
Active citizenship is vital for the health of our community. Now is the time to immerse yourselves in political discourse to choose your next elected leader on June 10.