London’s 31% election turnout beats 2022 but trails past votes

Just over 103,000 eligible voters cast a ballot in London’s Oct. 26 municipal election, a turnout of 31 per cent that is up from four years ago but still well below the city’s long-term norm.

The figure comes from the City of London, which has posted certified official results on its elections page, as reported by CBC London. Turnout was 25 per cent in 2022, a record low for the city, and averaged about 40 per cent between 1994 and 2018.

Roughly 230,000 eligible voters did not take part. Across Ontario, about 36 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, up from 32.9 per cent in 2022, according to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Toronto’s turnout rose to nearly 46 per cent.

Joe Lyons, an assistant professor of political science at Western University, said municipal elections are “low-information elections” in which it is hard for voters to find out about candidates, and that this is getting harder as local media coverage shrinks. He said homeowners and people in smaller municipalities tend to vote at higher rates than renters and people in larger cities.

Martin Horak, another Western political scientist, said the city needs to show residents why its 110 services and programs matter between elections.

London is one of 14 Ontario municipalities that decided their election with paper and mail-in ballots only, according to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Former mayor Matt Brown pointed to Tillsonburg, which lets residents vote by telephone. City staff recommended against internet voting ahead of the 2022 election, citing cybersecurity, ballot integrity and cost. Lyons said extra voting options tend to produce only small, short-lived gains.

Incumbent Josh Morgan won a second term as mayor. Our report on the mayoral result has the final vote counts, and our earlier voting guide explains how the ballot worked.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.