Raise the Hammer

Back again, I am on a roll with people who vote.
If everyone turned out to vote, the incumbents would face a challenge. I will look at Hamilton numbers at some stage, but here are a few from vancouver, both 1999 and 2002 ( I was there during the 2002 city elections).

There were a few issues, poverty and olympics being two of them. Fustration with incumbents and the affluent vote steering the results played out in the media.
Mayor is voted the same way as here.
10 councilors voted in by most votes (not wards like hamilton).

The two main parties, NPA and COPE.

In 1999, mayor and 8 councillors all from the NPA party. 2 councillors from COPE.

The mayor got 51,000 votes, the top councillor 42,815 votes (top 8 were all NPA, COPE got the last 2 seats)

In 2002, the 10 NPA candidates (not all were the same candidates, but party still had 10 running in each election) got a very similar number of votes.

NPA mayor candidate 41,000 (this was down a little)
Top NPA councillor - 41,755

The big difference, 50% voter turnout compared in 2002 compared with 36% in 1999. Registered voters increased by 25,000, actual voters increased by 45,000.

The COPE canditate for mayor won easily with 80,525 votes.

COPE won the top 8 seats wit NPA only winning the last 2.

Thats right, 42815 votes in 1999 and you are the top councillor. 41755 votes in 2002 and you just get in. The same areas who have often supported the NPA did just that. The rest of the city also decided to turn up on election day.

My point, if we want change, we need to get out and vote.

Note: COPE kind of got crushed in 2005, NPA made a nice comeback. 120,000 more registeres voters yet there were less actual voters than in 2002. Even less voted in 2008. In 2004 plebiscite, low 22% turnout, they voted to keep the "at-large" councillor vote as apposed to changing to the ward system.

I think this was longer than my last comment!