With Ontario preparing for a provincial election June 12, voter turnout in all levels of Canadian elections continues to hit historical lows.

With Ontario preparing for a provincial election June 12, voter turnout in all levels of Canadian elections continues to hit historical lows.

Canada is 127th out of 195 countries in terms of proportion of registered voters who exercised their right in the most recent federal parliamentary elections. Provincially, an Ontario byelection in Niagara Falls this year was fiercely contested on the campaign trail, but on election day fewer than four of 10 eligible voters showed up at the polls.

The Niagara Community Observatory at Brock University has released a policy brief that examines this decline, reviewing voter turnout in Niagara Region and also discussing voting trends in a national context. Its author, Brock political science Associate Professor Livianna Tossutti, examines some of the reasons people give for not voting, and also looks at possible solutions that governments might consider.