Turnout in Manitoba

The Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that turnout in Tuesday's election was 58%, up from 54% in 2003, but still low by historical standards.


Graph courtesy: CBC News

Why? A combination of factors are at play: the low level of competitiveness of the two most-recent elections ; the campaign finance reforms introduced in 2000 (which have crippled the parties' ability to advertise and get out the vote); global trends in voter apathy (particularly among youth); the timing of this year's election (after May Long Weekend); and others.

Should we be worried?