Toronto election 2018: Advance voter turnout drops amid shift to 25 wards

Voter turnout for the Toronto municipal election has dropped by approximately 25 per cent, according to newly released statistics on Monday.

City of Toronto staff said 124,306 residents cast ballots during the five-day advance vote period between Wednesday and Sunday. The turnout is a noticeable difference compared to 2014 when staff said they saw a record turnout of 161,147. However, this year’s total is much higher than the 2010 advance voter turnout when just 77,397 cast ballots early.

Municipal staff had to reduce the number of advance voting days due to the legal challenges of Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act. The law, passed earlier this year by the Doug Ford government, reduced the number of wards for the 2018 to 2022 term of council to 25 from 47. It wasn’t until Sept. 19 that the Court of Appeal for Ontario reversed a lower court decision that quashed Bill 5.

TORONTO ELECTION 2018: Who’s running for council, and how, where and when to vote

Ulli Watkiss, Toronto’s city clerk, told reporters earlier this month that the court decision was vital in order to hold the election on Oct. 22. Staff had to ensure voting locations worked for both scenarios, print two sets of voter cards, and send out generic information that could be usable regardless of the ward structure. Voter information cards for the 25-ward election went in the mail ‘immediately’ after the court decision. City staff said they have been working up to 14 hours a day to ensure residents can vote.

Watkiss said in a statement on Monday that she was “pleased” many voters turned out to vote.

“We hope this turnout continues on Election Day, and all eligible electors come out to vote on Oct. 22,” she said.

When asked about the decline in advance voter turnout, Ryerson University Professor Myer Siemiatycki said the statistics aren’t surprising. He said the Ontario government’s decision likely played a role.

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“A whole bunch of factors flowing from the province’s intervention have led predictably to this low voter turnout,” Siemiatycki told Global News.

“Much of the oxygen of this campaign was taken up by this drama of is it going to be 25 seats or 47 seats? And by the time that got resolved, I think for a lot of people there was either demoralization or disinterest — it was almost like the election was over once we knew what the playing field was going to look like.”

Siemiatycki said with a late start of the campaign once the 25-ward model was solidified, candidates haven’t had the typical amount of time to connect with voters. Provincial politicians have noted the municipal campaign is similar to a provincial election period, but Siemiatycki noted it’s different because the positions of political parties are more well known.

“In a federal and provincial campaign, they run on party lines, you know who the parties are, you know who the leaders are, you know what they stand for. At the municipal level, you need a longer runway of time for voters to get familiar with what the issues are, who the candidates are, and that has not been possible this time around,” he said.

“You couldn’t have manufactured an election to have a lower voter turnout than what we have now witnessed come into play.”

Meanwhile, residents will be able to vote between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Monday.

The City of Toronto’s MyVote website allows residents to view a personalized list of candidates, a ward map, voting locations and the ability to check if you’re on the voters’ list.

In order to vote, residents must have Canadian citizenship and be at least 18 years old, a resident in Toronto (the only way you can vote as a non-resident of Toronto is if you or your spouse own or rent property in Toronto) and not prohibited from voting under law. Students or residents who are away during the voting period can appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf.

City of Toronto’s 25 wards (2018-2022 term of office)

Voter information cards were mailed out on Sept. 19. The cards aren’t required to vote and can’t be used as the only piece of identification to vote.

Voters are required to show one piece of identification with a name and a Toronto address. Click here for a full list of acceptable pieces of identification. City staff said photo ID is not required.