The Town of Athabasca saw a decrease in voter turnout, and Athabasca County saw an increase for the municipal election this year.
Of the town’s 2,305 total eligible voters, 35.05 per cent, or 808, voted, according to Town of Athabasca returning officer Melody Wolansky.
In the 2010 municipal election, there were 877 voters, equaling about 38-per-cent voter turnout.
“It’s down three (percentage points) this year. It was 38 (per cent) the last time, and it was 35 (per cent) this time, but we still had a great turnout,” said Wolansky, who added, “35 per cent is good.”
Those numbers don’t translate directly to votes cast; some voters submit blank ballots that have to be rejected, according to Wolansky, and those who do vote may vote for multiple candidates in the town councillor race.
Wolansky acknowledged voter turnout is paramount for successful elections, adding that voter turnout is calculated from a rough estimate based on figures from the last census.
Wolansky said she has “no idea” what the reason for the decline in turnout could be, although she acknowledged it could be a simple fluctuation.
Whether or not a voter has appropriate voter identification can also have an impact on election results. Monday’s election was the first where voters were required to present ID.
“Prior to this (election), voters didn’t show any ID. It is good that the province has taken the steps to mitigate potential voter fraud,” said Wolansky.
She said voters required proof that they are 18 years old, a Canadian citizen, had resided in Alberta for at least six months immediately preceding election day (Oct. 21), and their place of residence is located in the Town of Athabasca.
There was more than a 40-per-cent increase in the number of people who came out to the advance polls this election compared to in 2010: 143 this year versus 100 in 2010.
Some community members had expressed concern prior to the election that setting the advance poll two days before the election was not far enough in advance to accommodate voters who may work shifts far from town.
Wolansky would not say whether setting the advance vote (Oct. 19) only two days prior to election day (Oct. 21) was advanced enough, but she said that with a new council, new ideas and policies are potentially viable for the next election.
This election, there were 1,516 ballots cast out of 2,980 eligible county voters: an overall turnout of 50.9 per cent.
In 2010, there were 2,577 county ballots cast and 5,300 eligible voters for 48.6-per-cent voter turnout in the county at large.
In 2007, there were 1,367 ballots cast and 4,218 eligible voters, or 32.4-per-cent voter turnout.
The fluctuation in eligible voters reflects the varying number of divisions in which there were elections held. For example, in 2010, there were races in eight of the nine divisions; in 2013, there were only five election races.
Athabasca County manager Gary Buchanan said he perceived the rise in voter turnout over the past few elections as a good sign.
The overall rise in turnout does not mean more votes were cast in every race. However, in Athabasca County Divisions 1 through 4, where there have been races for the 2010 and 2013 municipal elections, the number of votes cast did go up in each of the divisions except Division 4 (Southwest Athabasca area). In 2010, 328 votes were cast in Division 4; in 2013, this dropped to 315.
