It’s hard to fathom that voter turnout in this municipal election could be more dismal than it was four years ago.
But such was the case with 11,433 (29.9 per cent) of 38,228 eligible electors voting in this election, compared to 30.6 per cent in the 2022 municipal election.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) estimates that, provincewide, the average voter turnout was approximately 36 per cent, that’s up from about 33 per cent in 2022.
Of the eligible St. Thomas electors who voted, 87 (.76 per cent) declined their ballot, 553 (4.9 per cent) abstained from the mayoral race, 267 (2.4 per cent) abstained from the councillor race, and 246 (18.9 per cent) abstained from the London District Catholic School Board race.
According to the report to council members from Thomas Thayer, Director of Legislative Services/City Clerk for Monday’s (Nov. 9) meeting, “Approximately 70.5 per cent of electors voted prior to Voting Day, which is down slightly from 2022 and demonstrates that an increased number of electors chose to wait until October 26 to cast their ballot despite a 14-day voting period.”
