Issues is a series of articles exploring top issues impacting the town and the 2022 Newmarket municipal election, talking with experts and local candidates about their perspectives.
Newmarket candidates and organizations are urging voters to go to the polls but if history is any indication, most will not.
Newmarket’s voter turnout was 34.7 per cent in 2018, with 19,662 ballots submitted, a two per cent drop from 2014. It is not out of the norm for municipal elections, with a 38.3 per cent turnout across all municipalities in 2018.
York University political science professor Dennis Pilon said it is not unusual, with municipal politics often getting less attention than other levels of government.
“Local government is the orphaned child of the Canadian constitution,” he said. “The people can’t get the information they need to participate. There are no political parties at the local level, and political parties act as an information shortcut for voters.
“Voters are faced with a ballot at the local level with a whole bunch of names with no way to navigate among them,” he added.
Newmarket voters are choosing between two deputy mayoral candidates, with other contested wards having two or three candidates. There are also four candidates for public school board trustee and two for Catholic trustee.
The town has been broadcasting messaging to encourage voting. It is using an online voting method for 10 days, with paper ballots available by request through contacting the town office. Voting assistance centres are also available for those who may struggle with online voting, among other outreach efforts.
“This is our most accessible election yet, with over 225 hours available for voters to cast their ballot online, from the comfort of their home,” town clerk and returning officer Lisa Lyons said in a news release.
But online voting is not necessarily engaging those not inclined to vote, Pilon said, adding that new voting methods have not necessarily increased voting turnouts at all levels.
“These things tried tend to only work on the people who are already motivated to vote,” he said. “When you introduce things like mail-in-ballots, advance voting, people take it up, but they were people who were going to vote anyway.”
Media attention plays a part in that, Pilon said. He noted the record turnout in the 2014 Toronto municipal election, after years of media covering the tumultuous mayorship of Rob Ford.
In contrast, having no real mayor’s race — as is the case in Newmarket, with John Taylor acclaimed — can drive down turnout, he said.
“When you don’t have a contest, there’s no sizzle,” he said. “Acclamations are usually not an indication that everyone in society agrees, which is one interpretation. It usually means that nobody feels confident to risk the money that would be involved to challenge whoever is dominating.”
Financial hurdles also mean only a certain class of people can usually run, he said. Turnout can be affected by candidates not reflecting voters, with people being disenfranchised by only having upper-class candidates. That issue can apply on racial lines as well, he added.
“A lot of it comes down to inequality.”
Still, with a few days left to vote, candidates and officials are urging for voting.
“There's an adage about citizenship: decisions are made by those who show up,” Taylor said in a Facebook post. “It’s never been easier to show up and vote in Newmarket than it is right now.”
Advocacy organizations are also urging the vote.
“Who’s leading at your municipality will have a big impact,” Affordable Housing Coalition of York Region co-chair Yvonne Kelly said. “The decisions they make will have a big impact on your life, so it is worth taking the time to get involved and to vote.”
There is not necessarily a quick or easy fix to turnout, Pilon said.
“People’s connection to politics is much more complicated, and different kinds of people engage in politics in different ways.”
You can vote until Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. You can find details on how to vote here or at newmarketvotes.ca.
