When it is time for an election, candidates talk about the importance to “get out the vote”. One thing is however undeniable for the municipal election of 2021, voters are far from jostling at the polls. In fact, the turnout has plummeted.
It was quiet in the many polling stations. Few are the places where the wait exceeded 10 minutes to exercise one’s duty as a citizen. In several municipalities in Suroît, it must be understood that only a few municipal councillor positions were at stake.
In the major cities of Suroît, Vaudreuil-Dorion had only one seat up for election. That of District 6. A total of 741 citizens showed up to vote. All the other candidates were elected without opposition. Similar situation in L’Île-Perrot where only two councillor seats were up for election. As a result, only 524 voters went to the polls.
In Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, only 260 voters came forward. Only one councillor seat was up for election, that of District 1.
The problem of the participation rate may seem easy to explain for cities or municipalities where only one or two councillor seats were at stake. However, in Rigaud, 4 positions were up for election including that of the mayor since Hans Gruenwald had previously made known his intentions to leave politics.
However, the participation rate fell by almost 6%. In 2017, 40.1% of voters turned out, while for the 2021 election, it is 34.4% of voters.
We must not believe that Rigaud was an exception. Its low turnout in the 2021 municipal election is shared by all cities and municipalities in Quebec. The largest city in Montérégie, Longueuil, had a participation rate of 34%, the same enthusiasm as the municipality of Saint-Zotique.
28% participation
One of the lowest participation rates is in Pincourt. Out of 10,982 registered voters, only 3,080 turned out to vote. It is therefore possible to deduce that 28.2% of the voters were present. By taking the results panel and that of the number of registered voters, it is possible to see that less than 16% of the electors entitled to vote brought to power the new mayor of Pincourt, Claude Comeau.
In an interview, Julie St-Arnaud, spokesperson for Élections Québec, explains that the organization relies on education to encourage people to vote. In fact, to familiarize young people with voting once they have come of age, simulations are organized in schools.
