Newmarket resident Dianne McKnight is one of the many in town without a plan to vote.
Living in the area for four years, she said she lacks a strong idea of what the candidates stand for.
“I just don’t know what people are running for,” she said. “I know the names of a couple of people. Their positions mean nothing to me.”
Newmarket is putting out all the stops to get out the vote this year and make it accessible, with a range of options for the 10-day voting period. But with only three days left, only about 11.84 per cent of eligible voters have cast a ballot as of Friday.
It is not unusual to have a low turnout for a municipal election, with the town's turnout at 34.7 per cent in 2018. Early indicators are that this year’s turnout is pacing similarly. At the halfway point of the voting period at the end of Wednesday, the town had received 6,320 votes, 10.25 per cent of eligible voters. That is a lower share than in 2018, when 6,061 voters had cast a ballot midway through, about 10.68 per cent of eligible voters at that time.
Anne Crisp is one of those who voted early. Like 98 per cent of voters so far according to the town, she voted online.
“Which is very handy,” she said.
But she added she does not have much to say about the election, without much interest in politics.
“I just voted because I think it’s the right thing to do.”
The town has made efforts to make voting accessible this election. Besides online, it is offering paper ballots by appointment at the town office. Voter assistance centres are also in place at the Magna Centre and Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, operating until election night. The town also has an accessible phone app to guide people through voting,
Besides those options, the town has a mobile street team able to offer special, at-home voting assistance to anyone who might need it. You can access it by contacting the town by calling 905-953-5152. The town has also been going directly to several long-term care homes and shelters to provide voting stations.
“We encourage every eligible voter to cast a ballot to have a say in shaping our community,” the town said in a news release.
Although the town’s voting so far has been low, it indicated that the last few days of voting tend to be the busiest. So far, it has had about 850 to 1,600 votes per day.
Amanda Bolzicco has plans to vote in this year’s election, but none of the candidates have managed to excite her.
“I always vote, and I do plan to vote for the lesser of all of the evils,” she said.
You still have until 8 p.m. Oct. 24 to cast your ballot. You can vote online via a PIN sent out to all on the voter list. If you have not received that, you can contact the town for assistance; the town has an election hotline open 12 hours daily at 905-953-5152, plus an email address at [email protected]. More details on voting and the candidate list is available at newmarketvotes.ca.
NewmarketToday’s municipal election coverage and information about candidates is available at newmarkettoday.ca/municipal-election.
