Young Montrealers are voting less and less, thus reinforcing the abstention observed during the municipal elections of November 6 and 7, 2021, according to a report by Elections Montreal, which pleads for a modernization and simplification of the municipal vote.
The exhaustive report drawn up on Tuesday by the organization reveals a notable drop in electoral participation of four points between 2017 and 2021, while the choice of abstention was more popular in 48 of the 58 districts totaling 1,111,100 registered on the file. electoral.
While the turnout in the general election was 38.3%, four out of five Montrealers aged 18 to 24 did not vote in 2021, while turnout remained relatively stable among seniors, bringing age average of voters at 54.3 years.
According to figures compiled by Elections Montreal, participation in municipal elections contrasts with the popularity of federal elections, since 57% of Montreal voters took part in the October 2021 poll.
Unlike the rest of Quebec, the number of candidates increased in Montreal with an increase in female candidates, while the average age of the 340 candidates fell compared to the 2017 elections.
The strong abstention and the challenges encountered in an election organized in the context of a pandemic should encourage reflection on the modernization and simplification of the municipal vote, argues Elections Montreal.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com