In the 2011 Kamloops civic election, only 29 per cent of eligible voters bothered to visit a polling station to cast a ballot.
There were 65,332 eligible voters and only 19,442 actually voted.
Why that number is always so low and why that particular year yielded such abysmal figures can be debated forever.
Weather was not a factor on Nov. 19, 2011. It was cold, but not brutally so — a high of -4.3 C during the day, with no snow or rain.
The sad turnout prompted a drive to convince more people to vote this year.
Kamloops Vote 50 was formed, a group dedicated to increasing voter turnout — ideally to the 50 per cent level.
Meetings were held, stories were written and volunteers tried like hell to get the vote out.
In the end, which came at about 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, voter turnout had improved — albeit by a rather pedestrian four per cent, with 33 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots.
Again — why? Why is it so hard to get residents to vote in the one election that affects their lives so much more than any other election?
The City of Kamloops is to be commended for taking steps to make voting easier. There were three advance polls. There was a polling station on McArthur Island. There was a polling station in Sahali Centre Mall. There was a polling station at Thompson Rivers University.
People are busy? Yes, they are. Too busy to take a few minutes on a Saturday to vote at any one of 21 polling stations. No, they aren’t.
Is the fact two of three people routinely skip the ballot boxes an indication of laziness or complacency with the status quo?
Whatever the reason, there has to be a way to get more people to cast a ballot, be it by introducing Internet voting or passing legislation that makes voting mandatory.
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