Historic Low Voter Turnout.
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With the election now over and the numbers of votes counted, not only did Canada get a surprise in the size of the Liberal minority, it also got the lowest voter turnout since 1898.
The trend of Canadians avoiding the polls has continued and shows no sign of changing. Early numbers from the advance polls were showing that trend may end, but alas, it turns out Canadians have just tuned out.
With just over 60% of Canadians bothering to vote, Canada now ranks as one of the lowest among industrialized countries in the world in terms of voter turnouts. The reasons are many, but it is clear that major changes are needed if we are to reverse this ongoing trend.
With the announcement of Jack Layton of the NDP that they would press the Liberals for Pro-Rep, the future may not be so bad. But is Pro-Rep the answer to the ills of our system? Maybe not, but it is still worth exploring to some degree. Maybe an elected Senate as well? Only time will tell, and with the minority outcome we may see sooner than later.
@ June 29, 2004