Today's your last chance to cast a ballot!
By Contributor
Ed. Note: This information was provided by the Columbia basin Rural Developmnet Institute.
It is time again to exercise your right to vote! The Federal Election is today – Monday, October 21, 2019.
Voting is a valued right enjoyed by Canadian adults. It is a way to exercise our democracy. Our history shows a long and hard battle towards the right for all Canadians to vote (see Elections Canada History of the Vote). Voter turnout is an indicator of the health of a democracy. Last year’s local government elections provided data needed to explore this indicator for our region.
Compiling data from CivicInfoBC and local governments directly, the 2018 local government elections showed a 46.6 per cent voter turnout for the Columbia Basin-Boundary. This is higher than the provincial voter turnout for municipalities of 43.5 per cent. See the graph attached for the voter turnout by local government. Communities not listed in this graph had elected officials acclaimed, therefore no elections were needed. To compare with previous local government elections, the voter turnout in the Columbia Basin-Boundary was 40.9 per cent in 2014, 44.8 per cent in 2011, and 51.1 per cecnt in 2008. See the State of the Basin full report for more information.
The 43rd Canadian General Federal Election is an opportunity to contribute your input on the governance of our nation. To find out more information on your electoral district, including the candidates and where to vote, check out the Voter Information Service from Elections Canada. Not sure who to vote for? Use the Vote Compass tool to explore how your views align with the different political parties. Lastly, here is a voter’s checklist to provide a summary of the key information needed to vote.
On Monday, October 21, please get out and vote!
