Voter turnout ticks up slightly in Regina election

Voter turnout in Regina’s municipal election saw a small increase this year, but it remained very low.

The official numbers were released Thursday afternoon, showing voter turnout at 26 per cent. That’s a five per cent increase from the 2020 election, representing about 10,000 more people casting a ballot.

“We have a long ways to go, I’d respectfully say, but to increase it five per cent over the last election, I think speaks to both the quality and the issues that people were engaged in,” said Jim Nicol, returning officer and city clerk.

He said turnout can depend on things like the quality of candidates as well.

“A spirited mayoralty race always adds some spark to things,” Nicol said.

Nicol was happy about the increase but not exactly jumping for joy.

“Am I sitting here saying, ‘Woohoo, we did a great job, we got 26 per cent?’ Yeah, great small steps, but we still have a ways to go,” he said.

“When 20-25 per cent of a population the size of Regina is voting and making decisions on matters it does beg the question, what are the other 75 thinking or doing?”

Though Nicol said it’s not for him to ask or answer, he said he was just musing as a person.

The provincial election happening just days before advanced polls and two weeks before election day was also problematic, according to Nicol.

“It’s voter fatigue, it’s worker fatigue and it’s just a clutter of information out there,” he said.

City councils and municipal returning officers have made it known to the provincial government in the past that they would like a larger separation between the two, according to Nicol, but it hasn’t changed. He said a suggestion had been made for the provincial election to be held in the spring, and then there would be five or six months between it and the municipal elections.

Results were slower coming in on Wednesday with more than half of polling stations seeing lineups when the polls closed at 8 p.m. Some people said they waited close to two hours to vote, while others said they didn’t have the time to wait, so, they didn’t vote.

Nicol said he feels for those who may not have been able to vote.

“There’s just nothing I can wave a wand to make that happen. We did prepare as best we could based on historical voter turnout,” he explained.

Nicol said Election Regina made it as convenient as possible for people to vote.

“I’m not chiding anybody, but we also provided four days of advanced polls and mail-in ballot applications,” he said.

There could also have been people who just got engaged in the last few days or more people came out because Wednesday was a nice day for weather, mused Nicol.