There are 308 federal electoral districts in the country, and in the last federal general election, the district of Fort McMurray-Athabasca had the lowest voter turnout of them all.
In 2011, the Fort McMurray-Athabasca district had a voter turnout of 40.3 per cent. Alberta as a whole had a turnout of 52.3 per cent, ahead of only Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Dr. Peter (Jay) Smith, professor and course coordinator in political science at Athabasca University, explained there are a few reasons for this, the first being the young, transient population.
“Voting starts to increase as people become older and recognize their stake in any election outcome. Thus, young people are often too busy building their lives, getting a job, to become engaged politically,” Smith said.
The immigrant population and influx of out-of-province workers decreases voter turnout, he said.
“In the case of Fort McMurray-Athabasca, you have a lot of people that are from somewhere else, just like immigrants to our country, who have not put down roots and are thinking more of where they are from rather then where they are,” Smith said.
Smith said the fact that this district has a long history of voting conservative also has a role in voter turnout.
“(It’s) the lack of a competitive election. Tories usually win, and so who is going to a horse race when the winner is already known?” Smith said.
However, Smith said things are not as concrete as they seem.
“There are a lot of labourers in the Fort, and they are not usually the base of the Conservatives. So, if an issue animates them and they make a turnout, then the complexion of the race could change entirely,” he said.
It is because of that, Smith said, that the byelection could be an interesting one.
“Today, most parties have problems getting people to work for them and to get the voters out, and if the opposition parties have good candidates, good organizations and good campaigns, then the dynamics could change.
“No party can stand to be complacent,” he said.
The byelection will take place on June 30 with voting taking place between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Advance polls wrapped up yesterday, June 23. For more information, visit www.elections.ca.
For coverage of the election results, come back here: www.athabascaadvocate.com.
