Regardless of who you voted for in the 2020 provincial and Estevan civic elections, and no matter where you stand on the political spectrum, you shouldn't have been happy with the voter turnout for those two elections.
The provincial election voter turnout came in at roughly 52.86 per cent, down about five per cent from the 2016 edition. Meanwhile, the civic election in Estevan was well under 50 per cent for voter turnout.
Granted, the provincial and civic elections took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time in which numbers were spiking in many parts of the province (although not so much in the southeast). And while there were options such as drive-thru polls and mail-in ballots to encourage people to vote, there were still some who essentially shut themselves off from the world during the pandemic.
There also wasn't a lot of suspense for the provincial election. We all knew the Saskatchewan Party was going to win its fourth consecutive majority government, and it was going to do so decisively. The only question was the margin of victory. We also knew a lot of their victories in rural ridings would be in landslide fashion.
If people think the result is a foregone conclusion, it might discourage them from voting. After all, why take the time to cast your ballot if you think it won't make a difference? If you're supporting the favourite, it's just one more vote in the landslide. If you're backing another candidate, it wouldn't change the end result, which is a drubbing.
Expect it to be much closer this year, although it would still be a big upset if the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party knocks off the Saskatchewan Party, and it would be an even bigger shocker if the Saskatchewan Party were to be dethroned in its rural stronghold seats (unless there were to be a large wave of support for another right-of-centre party).
As for the civic election, there are a number of factors that should result in a larger turnout. For starters, there's more interest in the mayoral race. Four years ago, most people expected Roy Ludwig (who is wrapping up his third term as mayor) to defeat challenger Ray Walton, who was a very capable candidate and certainly put in a candidate's workload, but ultimately Ludwig won with 1,632 of just over 2,300 votes cast.
Ludwig isn't running after 12 years of service as mayor and 30 on council. There's a really intriguing race for mayor this time between Rebecca Foord and Tony Sernick, who are each wrapping up their first term as councillors, and there's a third candidate in Zacch Vandenhurk, who is looking to make the jump into the mayor's chair despite no previous council experience.
Also, 10 candidates are vying for just six city councillor seats.
Adding to the intrigue for the election is the plebiscite that will be taking place on a third ice surface for Estevan.
Voting isn't limited to election day. You can vote at an advanced poll for both the provincial and civic elections. Both levels of government are continuing with mail-in ballots, which should prove to be a popular option for snowbirds and seniors. The city will continue to have drive-thru polling stations. Both levels of government are looking for ways to get as many people as possible to vote.
We'd definitely like to see a surge in the number of people voting in the civic election, which tends to have lower turnout. You have a level of connection with your mayor and councillors that you don't have with your MLA or MP. In rural settings, the MLAs for Estevan-Big Muddy and Cannington have large areas to cover; your local mayor and councillors do not.
If you don't vote, then you shouldn't complain. Yes, there will be a small fraction of people who are unable to vote in this election for a variety of reasons, but most of us don't have an excuse other than apathy.
And if you don't vote, and you don't get the desired result, then often you have nobody to blame but yourself.
