Local and Urban Politics

E05 - Municipal Elections in Canada: Municipal Elections in Canada

Date: May 30 | Time: 01:30pm to 03:00pm | Location: Classroom - CL 407 Room ID:15705

Chair/Président/Présidente : Brian Budd (University of Guelph)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Andrea Perrella (Wilfrid Laurier University)

Who has School Spirit? Explaining Voter Turnout in Canadian School Board Elections: Jack Lucas (University of Calgary)
Abstract: "In many Canadian provinces, school board elections are held at the same time as elections for municipal council. While we know little about Canadian municipal elections in general, we know even less about down-ballot elections, such as those to select school board trustees. To date, there have been no academic studies of school board turnout – and almost no research on school board elections more generally – in Canada. This study thus represents the first scholarly examination of the correlates of voter turnout in Canadian school board elections. Using individual-level survey data from the Canadian Municipal Election Study, it considers two questions. First, what are the sociodemographic, attitudinal and contextual correlates of voter turnout in Calgary school board elections? Second, do these correlates vary according to school board (public versus separate/Catholic)? Catholic education is constitutionally protected in the province of Alberta (as it is in many other provinces), and we expect turnout patterns to vary by board. The results of this study will have implications for school board elections across Canada, and for the study of down-ballot elections more generally."

Setting the Record Straight: Identifying the Correlates of Straight-Ticket Voting in Canadian Munici: Charles Tessier (McGill University)
Abstract: "The concept of party identification has been thoroughly studied in Canada. All of this work is focused, however, on the federal and provincial levels, where party systems are firmly established. Municipal elections are a completely different story. Elections in most Canadian cities are non-partisan, and in the province of Quebec (one of the few places where political parties are present) parties tend to be transitory in nature – they are often created by mayoral candidates and rarely survive the departure of their founders. Since they tend not to be based around an ideology, and are short-lived, it is difficult for voters to develop long-lasting party loyalties. At the same time, the local level is the only one in Canada where concurrent elections are held. In cities in Quebec, voters cast at least two ballots, and often more. In many instances, ‘down-ballot’ candidates carry a party label and are associated with a mayoral candidate.The purpose of this study is to identify the correlates of straight ticket voting in the 2017 municipal elections in Montreal and Quebec City. Using survey data from the Canadian Municipal Election Study, we consider how sociodemographic and attitudinal characteristics affect whether voters support the same party in mayoral, council and borough mayoral races. Our results will provide insight into the decision making calculus of Canadian voters in low information contexts, as well as the understudied role of partisanship at the local level.?"

Que signifie l'acte de voter à l'échelle municipale?: Sandra Breux (INRS-UCS)
Abstract: L’acte de voter résulte d’un apprentissage mais aussi d’une certaine forme de rituel. On sait également que le rituel et le symbolisme associés à cet acte diverge selon les pays et les cultures institutionnelles. Toutefois si le rituel du vote est largement connu et analysé en Europe, on ignore en quoi il consiste au Québec, notamment à l’échelle municipale où la participation électorale est plus basse qu’aux autres niveaux de gouvernement. Que signifie l’acte de voter à l'échelle municipale? Notre propos se basera sur l’analyse de plusieurs focus groups réalisés sur des jeunes électeurs québécois (18-35 ans) et mettra en évidence ce que représente cet acte pour cette catégorie de population qui s’abstient généralement davantage que les autres.

Factors Explaining the Turnout of the Seniors in Municipal Elections: A Literature Review: Salomé Vallette (INRS-UCS)
Abstract: The voter turnout rate is an indicator of citizen participation in society. In view of the statistics on the different elections, municipal elections are the ones with the lowest turnout, with less than half of the population voting. While the low turnout of young adults (18-34 years of age) in the various elections (federal, provincial, municipal) is often mentioned, seniors vote in large numbers. In fact, it has been studied that the older an individual gets, the more involved he will be in his social environment and the more likely he will vote. Electoral statistics, both federal and provincial, show that the participation rate for people aged 65 and over is higher than for all other age groups. Although similar information on participation in municipal elections is not known, it may be possible to believe that seniors also vote in large numbers at the municipal level. Consequently, considering that the demographic weight of senior citizens will increase in the coming years, with the arrival of baby boomers in the cohort of people aged 65 and over, it becomes relevant to question the factors explaining their high turnout in municipal elections and subsequently, to understand the place that these citizens give themselves in their municipalities. This research aims to study the factors influencing citizen participation of people aged 65 and over through municipal elections. In this communication, we will present a review of the literature related to our research.