Local voter turn out bests provincial and national averages in 2015 federal election
By Castlegar Source
A Community Voters Challenge, created to increase voter turn out in the area during last year’s October federal election has given local communities something to crow about, with local turn outs eclipsing both provincial and federal averages.
“Two of our communities had a voter turnout of over 80 per cent. Given that the national level was 68 per cent –itself a marked increase from 2011 – this is extremely impressive,”said Mike Chapman, one of the event organizers.
Castlegar and Areas I and J boasted a turn out of 73 per cent, up 11.5 per cent from the 2011 election, while Nelson and Areas E and F saw an increased of 10.9 per cent, with 75 per cent voter turn out.
“It is with pleasure that we announce that the winner of the challenge is the City of Rossland, with a voter turnout of 81%, an increase from 2011 of 12.7 per cent,” Chapman said, adding a special award was also presented to the Village of Slocan for their whooping 84 per cent turn out – the best of any community participating in the challenge.
“The organizers – together with the City of Nelson who initiated the challenge – congratulate the City of Rossland, as well as the Village of Slocan who topped the voter turnout with 84 per cent,” he said. “We also salute all participating communities — their willingness and efforts to engage their citizens, to invite and include them in the democratic process, and to let them share in the pride of having provided an example to the rest of the country, is deserving of huge respect.
“This was civic engagement at its very best. Bravo.”
