Although the residents have already spoken, it’s time to look at how many actually did.
The Township of Madawaska Valley have shared statistics revealing that the voter turnout was down by a little less than 7 percent this year compared to the 2014 municipal elections. Suzanne Klatt, Township of Madawaska Valley CAO, mentions that although it went down, it wasn’t a bad turnout for a municipal election.
When asked about the reasoning behind using the mail in ballot, she mentioned that it gave taxpayers that are not full time residents the chance to vote. It also gave them more time to send in their ballots.
Out of 2 243 non-residents, the voter turnout was 41.38%. As for the 3 399 residents eligible to vote, 65.61% submitted their ballots.
Klatt also states that perhaps the fear of a possible Canada Post strike might have worried potential voters. She says that her report to council for the 2022 municipal elections, if mail in ballots are still the used method, would be to state an alternative vote and also to suggest an advanced poll for ballot drop off. This is due to the fact that the staff processed 585 ballots in person on voting day alone.