Prince Edward Island's voter turnout was the lowest in decades (only 76.4%!!!)

[Electric Monk]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2011/10/04/peivotes-voter-turnout-584.html

The turnout for the P.E.I. election Monday, at 76.4 per cent, was the lowest since at least 1966, and perhaps the lowest ever.

Monday's numbers from Elections PEI are still unofficial, but if the numbers hold up it will be the lowest turnout since the agency started keeping records in the May 1966 election. In that year 85.65 per cent of registered voters cast a ballot.

The lowest turnout recorded before Monday was 78.20 per cent in 1982, also the only election in which the number was below 80 per cent.


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compared to... http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

U.S. Elections
2010** 37.8%
2008* 56.8

[MADem]

1. Was there a bad rain? Or was everyone on holiday?

Is it New Zealand that fines people thirty bucks, or something like that, for not voting? And you don't have to pay the fine if you have a doctor's note? That's one way to increase turnout, but honestly, I'd rather that stupid people who do not understand the issues and are unmotivated just stay home.

It's great that the folks in PEI are civic minded and involved, though. They aren't forced to vote, they just do it.

I'm not a fan of compulsory voting, for the reasons elucidated in this article--I am surprised at how many countries have it (though it is weakly enforced in many): http://www.idea.int/vt/compulsory_voting.cfm

[chollybocker]

2. PEI is quite possibly the most beautiful place on earth.

And now it's confirmed. It's because of the people.

[NYC Liberal]

3. Ontario's turnout was 49% and the Northwest Territories' was 35%.

[aquart]

4. Braggart.