Slow turnout to Hamilton Centre byelection; vote is Thursday
Published March 13, 2023 at 11:53 am
Byelections often have a comparatively low turnout compared to the regular election cycle, and Hamilton Centre has followed that trend in its vote to elect a new member of provincial Parliaament (MPP).
Elections Ontario indicated that turnout last week for the advance polls was roughly half of what it was before polling day for the 2022 general election last spring. Officials say preliminary figures indicate that 4,166 voters, representing 5.2 per cent of all registered voters in Hamilton Centre, cast their ballot last week. Some 8,535 voters or 11 per cent of registered voters in Hamilton Centre voted early last spring.
Voting is open from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. on Thursday (March 16). Further information is available at elections.on.ca.
“All registered voters should have received their voter information card with information about their assigned voting location for election day,” says Elections Ontario. “Eligible voters who have not yet received a card can still vote but will need to bring an accepted piece of identification to update or add their information to the voters list when they go to the polls.”
A photo ID with one’s current residential address is valid proof at the polls if you forget your voter information card, or did not receive one. Other forms of ID include:
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The byelection was triggered when Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath resigned as Hamilton Centre MPP in order to return to municipal politics, where she had once been a city councillor. The seat was formally vacated last Aug. 17, starting the clock on the province having six months to set a byelection date.
Last spring, Ontario had the lowest provincial election turnout in its history, as only 43.53 per cent of the people who were eligible voted. Hamilton Centre lagged behind that with 37.94% turnout.
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