Chris Lowrey
MRC PONTIAC Nov. 5, 2017
With more than 12,000 registered voters in the MRC Pontiac, just over 7,500 cast votes in the election of the region’s warden.
This represents a voter turnout of 58 per cent. The fact that this was the first time voters got a chance to choose the warden means that the turnout numbers can’t be compared to years past.
Turnout at the advance polls was about 27 per cent.
Although some long-time politicians at the mayoral level were ousted, incumbents fared relatively well across the MRC, with 72 per cent of incumbent mayors were re-elected.
A concerted effort by the MRC to get more women involved in municipal politics seems to have paid off with women making up 37 per cent of all mayors at the MRC. Additionally, 37 per cent of all mayoral and municipal candidates were women.
Improving an abysmal trend in Pontiac politics was the amount of seats that were won uncontested. In the last round of municipal elections, 70 out of 122 seats were won by acclamation – 57 per cent of all seats in the Pontiac were won unopposed.
This time around, the numbers were a bit better. Less than half of the elected seats in the MRC – or 44 per cent – were won uncontested.
Many of those who typically run for municipal politics in this region tend to be older residents with a bit more time on their hands. This time was no different as the average age of elected officials in the MRC Pontiac is 55.