Voter turnout is dropping in all elections but it's most dismal at the municipal level, where, ironically people have the most say in what goes on.
In 2011's general civic elections, for example, Port Moody had the highest turnout in the Tri-Cities at a paltry 26% - and the numbers dropped from there, with Coquitlam at 21.7% and Port Coquitlam at 18.6%.
The reasons 70% to 80% don't vote are many and growing with each election, from lack of engagement and cynicism to the difficulty and work involved in obtaining information.
According to a recent study by the Columbia Institute, non-voters are not lazy or ignorant. In fact, they may simply weigh the work involved in voting against their own self interest. If they don't know who is running or don't see an issue important to them, they may just stay home.
And so this year's election may be another bust - unless we can appeal to a voter's sense of duty. That's why this year, The Tri-City News is reminding people about the importance of voting and what they can do to inform themselves through our #IVoteBecause and #IVotedTC campaigns.
Also, using social media and our print publication, including the three city-specific VoteSmart voters' guides coming out in Friday's paper, we are trying to make information as accessible as possible to encourage voters to participate. If things are easy, we hope, the cost/benefit analysis could tip in the voters' favour.
Admittedly, the process can be daunting because there are so many candidates to choose from.
But there are ways to get information that don't require a PhD in political science. Watch the candidate videos at tricitynews.com under the Election Tab; look for cues such as union endorsements and candidate alignment; read the candidates' write-ups in the VoteSmart voters' guides.
Then make a selection. It's akin to a job interview and you, the voter are hiring someone who will make decisions in your backyard about taxes, livability and quality of education.
