“It’s unfortunate, but what do you do?” asked Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler after barely one in five eligible voters cast ballots in that community’s 2012 civic election.
Unfortunately, there is no good answer to that question.
As Flin Flonners head to the polls today for their own municipal election, it is clear that engagement with the democratic process is at worryingly low levels.
In Flin Flon’s 2010 election, just 45 per cent of voters cast ballots. Four years earlier, in 2006, turnout was an even more dismal 35 per cent.
No connection
learly, many residents fail to see a connection between their lives and the goings-on at city hall. This is unfortunate, as civic issues, as far as politics goes, are often the most important to us and our neighbours.
I have never been someone who thinks voting should be mandatory or that all non-voters are unappreciative and lazy. Often people have just become jaded and believe their lone vote won’t change anything.
Still, the fact remains that voting is crucial and must be strongly encouraged.
In recent years, low turnouts have suggested that we really don’t care about the future of our communities. And we all know that simply isn’t the case.
