Stephen Harper's secret weapon: low voter turnout

One of the byproducts of negative election ads is low voter turnout.

The Conservatives know that by throwing mud at whoever is leading the Liberals, it will persuade some of their supporters not to show up at the ballot box.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that Stephen Harper's party smears anyone who happens to be heading the Liberals.

In the 1984 and 1988 elections, 75.3 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.

In 1993, that fell to 69.6 percent. It was 67 percent in 1997, and only 61.2 percent in 2000.

In 2008, there was a record low turnout of 58.8 percent for a federal election.

If the Conservatives can suppress the turnout even more in the May 2 federal election, their chances of winning will increase.

That's because wealthier voters—who tend to vote Conservative—are more likely to show up at the polls than low-income Canadians.

In recent years, the polls have closed at 7 p.m. on the West Coast, which offers another advantage to the Conservatives.

People in the Lower Mainland who take long transit rides to work or school may have difficulty reaching a polling station before it closes. For them, it was probably easier to vote when the deadline was 8 p.m.

Under the law, employers are required to give workers three consecutive hours off to vote. The employer selects the time. But it doesn't appear to be a right that is often exercised—or, in some workplaces, probably even that well known.

In its defence, Elections Canada will say that the polling stations open earlier (at 7 a.m.) on the West Coast, so there are still 12 hours to put an X on the ballot. But many people probably aren't going to think about voting first thing in the morning.

Meanwhile in Quebec and Ontario, polling stations close at 9:30 p.m. in their time zones.

Comments

38 Comments

Rolf_Auer

Apr 3, 2011 at 1:32am

He's gonna need it.
"Why The Harper Government Mismanages The Economy" (article) and more..
My federal politics blog: clearpolitics.wordpress dot com
(Click "About" re reading posts, or on my picture.)
@Rolf_Auer

boychuk

Apr 3, 2011 at 1:59am

Lost your logic here Charlie. If polls closing at 7:00 favours Conservatives, then the same logic would say that having them open to 9:30 in Ontario and Quebec would favour the other parties. That's 184 seats where the Conservatives must be at a disadvantage!

monty/that's me

Apr 3, 2011 at 2:25am

I thought everyone was/is supposed to be given two hours off work in order to vote. Or is that only for provincial and perhaps municipal elections?

Where are the ads for jobs during the federal election?

kathyg

Apr 3, 2011 at 4:25am

Yes, mudslinging and attacks help Harper by turning off voters while the CPC focuses on dividing issues and fear which motivate their own voters.

So, please, even if you are not fearful or motivated by some dividing, fringe issue, know that your vote and the votes of people just like you, can and do matter. Together we can get the government we need and deserve.

carl2

Apr 3, 2011 at 7:17am

And the BC Socred/Liberal/Conservative coalition has favoured, and been favoured, by the same conditions. Suggests the Adrian Dix proposed election strategy for the NDP makes more sense than the Mike Farnworth strategy.

pippatch

Apr 3, 2011 at 8:13am

If a person can't find time to vote within a 12 hour period, maybe they shouldn't be voting anyway. They obviously don't care. Employers are required to give employees 4 straight hours to vote.

Argulion

Apr 3, 2011 at 8:32am

Voter apathy helps create and support sub-standard politicians in all levels of government.

glen p robbins

Apr 3, 2011 at 9:37am

We believe there will be a slight increase in voting except maybe Alberta which oddly is becoming somewhat polarized on the Tar Sands.