Voter turnout up in all Manitoba ridings, soars in areas usually low

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This article was published 20/10/2015 (3637 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Voter turnout increased in every riding in Manitoba in the 2015 federal election — and the increase was most pronounced in ridings where the fewest people previously voted.

The northern Manitoba riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski saw a voter turnout increase by 44 per cent over 2011.  Almost two-thirds of eligible electors cast a ballot in the riding, compared with less than half in 2011 — the lowest turnout in Manitoba that election. 

Sheila North Wilson, grand chief of a group representing First Nations in northern Manitoba, said she was told there were not enough ballots on some remote reserves in the province. Some voters were given photocopies of blank ballots instead.

"The First Nations vote has definitely been mobilized and we’re seeing it at the polls," North Wilson said. "People are interested and people are engaged. People want change and they’re not afraid to make that known now."

An Elections Canada spokeswoman said stations were stocked with ballots based on turnout from the last federal election in 2011.

The percentage increase in turnout is not exact, but is a rough indicator of the increase. Twelve of the 14 Manitoba ridings saw small boundary changes between the 2011 and 2015 elections, which prevents us from making an exact comparison.

Winnipeg Centre up 26%

Winnipeg Centre also saw a big increase in voter turnout, with 26 percent more voters casting ballots over 2011. About 60 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot this election. The Winnipeg Centre race saw longtime NDP MP Pat Martin fall to Liberal star candidate Robert-Falcon Ouellette, a former mayoral candidate in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Centre has suffered from perennially low voter turnout, especially in areas around downtown. Last year, in the Winnipeg mayoral race, Ouellette placed first in several of those downtown neighbourhoods, despite finishing third overall.

While turnout increased by the largest margin in Churchill and Winnipeg Centre, the two ridings still recorded among the lowest turnouts in Manitoba.

North vs South

Winnipeg South Centre — one of Winnipeg’s most-watched races, in which Liberal Jim Carr defeated Conservative Joyce Bateman by a significant margin — saw the highest turnout in Manitoba, with more than three-quarters of eligible voters casting a ballot, an increase of eight per cent over 2011.

Winnipeg North recorded the lowest turnout at 59 per cent.  That race saw Liberal incumbent Kevin Lamoureux win by a huge 18,200-vote margin.

Data on turnout is based on preliminary results from Elections Canada, and does not include electors who registered on voting day. Some polls have not reported final results yet.

With files from The Canadian Press