Photo from the Town of Sexsmith Facebook page.

By Curtis Galbraith

Municipal Politics

Local officials hoping for strong turnout on municipal election day

Mar 27, 2021 | 7:00 AM

Municipal elections will be held October 18 in Alberta and with that, local officials will be wondering how to get people out to vote.

Sexsmith Mayor Kate Potter says her community tried engaging with voters in a way that was not tied to any one candidate.

“We said even if in the end, if you don’t vote for me in an election, I would much rather that people come out and vote because that is really one of the few means that we have to effect change.”

Potter says a few votes can make a big difference in a smaller community and many previous elections have had close races.

She adds making voting accessible, having advance polls for instance, can help increase turnout. This can help people who have strict work schedules or are away from home at work camps.

Voter turnout came in at around 35 per cent in the 2017 election in Sexsmith, 18 per cent in 2013.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton is expecting a bigger turnout for the October 18 municipal election

She says the province adding referendum questions to the municipal ballot will lead to more people voting.

“I think, depending on what the referendum questions are, we could see larger-than-ever voter turnout,” said Clayton.

“I just remind people that picking your municipal politicians is something that is crucially important. On a day-to-day basis, elected officials at the municipal level make decisions that impact your life daily.”

Voter turnout in Grande Prairie for the 2017 municipal election was 22 per cent, up one per cent from the 2013 vote.

Municipal election day in Alberta is October 18.