Nanaimo 2011 Civic Election Results

Has Our Form Of Democracy Become A Joke???

The above comparison takes a look at the civic election results from a couple of different angles. What the numbers tell is open to interpretation, but one thing for certain is that the level of voter apathy in Nanaimo is well beyond alarming.

To compare some of these figures only 26.9% of all eligible voters took the time to exercise their franchise, of those only 26.6% cast a proper ballot, the difference being unacceptable for one reason or other.

There is no one on city council capturing more than 14.2% of the total eligible vote, with six not even attaining 12% of the eligible vote and one not even making the 10% threshold.

Only two members of council were able to achieve even a simple majority of the total votes that were cast, only Councillor Bestwick and Mayor Ruttan were capable of passing, this most basic threshold of what is considered the will of the majority. The percentage of votes cast can of course be skewed when you have a large number of people running for a limited number of seats, as is the case in civic politics.

Perhaps the most telling statistic is the number of eligible voters who have not expressed their vote for any specific candidate, for example, even Bestwick with the highest numbers still does not have the expressed support of nearly 86% of the eligible vote.

One suggestion which may account for the lack of voter turnout, is the idea that it does not matter who you elect to council, as basically they have little to do with actually establishing policy and directing the course of the city. That task would seem to rest squarely with the unelected officials at city hall who basically employ city council as a firewall between themselves and the public.

Another Election Comparison