This week's Water Cooler looks at responses to our editorial on low voter turnout in Nanaimo during the 2022 Municipal Election. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Water Cooler: Ward systems, all-candidates debates and what to do about Nanaimo’s low voter turnout

Oct 22, 2022 | 10:25 AM

NANAIMO — The Water Cooler is NanaimoNewsNOW’s letters to the editor-style segment, featuring conversations about the news in Nanaimo and Oceanside.

In the aftermath of a historically low voter turnout for Nanaimo, which saw roughly 24 per cent of eligible voters actually vote, we posed the question about what could be done differently next time to coax more out to the polls.

This edition of the Water Cooler looks at some of the responses we received, how valid of a solution they might be and where the region goes from here.

Niki G., Nanaimo: A ward system or a hybrid may provide a massive improvement over at large portfolios. Would help each community or group of communities have an advocate that is accountable to them. A focused voice that would represent the desires and the aspirations of each community or group of communities. The current system promotes compromise not consensus. I feel voting for 8 people becomes a box ticking exercise.

NanaimoNewsNOW: For those unfamiliar, a ward system essentially acts like a riding system does in senior levels of government. Certain representatives campaign and are elected for specific areas of their communities.

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In Canada, several major centres such as Toronto and Edmonton use the ward system in a bid to cut down on lengthy ballots with dozens of names. Vancouver is the largest Canadian city to not yet adopt the system, however, support grows for its use.

The use of wards in Nanaimo is an interesting one. Certainly on the surface, issues which may be more important to residents of Chase River, may not be top of mind for those in the Dover neighbourhood.

Niki’s comment to our Facebook post, which is above, continued in a reply by saying Nanaimo could be a leader in the change, by adopting this system designed for larger centres in a more mid-sized market.

The idea of a ward system for smaller communities continues to be discussed.

Lethbridge, AB, a community of just under 100,000 people is investigating using the ward system after support for it was shown during the 2021 municipal election.

The creation of a ward system would require local government action, passing of bylaws and discussion on where the boundaries for each ward are.

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Jessie K, Nanaimo: Voted, but sure would have appreciated a streamed and recorded all-candidates forum/debate

Derrek B, Nanaimo: The lack of debates (a few Q and A sessions and one biased green party debate is a stretch) probably didn’t help matters much.

Caleb Z., Nanaimo: With so many candidates running for council it wasn’t much of a debate, more like a crowded room. The format definitely needs to change and being made available on social media would have been a huge help. The way the election was organized made everything feel last minute, like the debate, and like we weren’t really encouraged to vote.

NanaimoNewsNOW: This was a topic our team discussed on election night during our live broadcast…does the debate format work and how does it engage the voter?

Only one formal debate took place among a majority of candidates during the 2022 election in Nanaimo, hosted by the Nanaimo Green Party with topics heavily leaning toward climate action and responsibility.

The Chamber of Commerce, which typically hosted a formal debate, elected instead for a less formal Q&A session which was well attended. Other similar events dotted the campaign calendar including at VIU and some local high schools.

A few days before general voting day, one candidate arranged a debate-turned-discussion session which saw approximately a quarter of the candidates appear.

How important is an all-candidates debate in not only engaging the voter and encouraging them to cast a ballot, but to educate the electorate on where candidates stand?

During a conversation in the comments section of our original post on this subject, Caleb proposed a town hall-style event, rather than a traditional debate.

“Allow residents to field questions with multiple candidates responding and limit the number of responses that any one candidate can make,” Caleb said. “The debate needs to be between the public and the candidates rather than between the candidates themselves.”

There was overwhelming consensus for a live-streamed, or at least videoed, debate so people could watch remotely or watch at a time more convenient for them. This is a no-brainer for 2026.

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Sean O., Nanaimo: I think the reason only 25% of voters came out was because at least at my house me my mom and brother were waiting for a voting card that never came, we alway vote and would have this year but we didn’t even know when it was like I mentioned we were waiting for the card. I wonder how many more people were doing the same. Not Impressed with how it worked this time.

NanaimoNewsNOW: Voter information cards are typically reserved for provincial and federal elections where voters must go to a specific polling place, as determined by their address.

Would a more traditional reminder to vote through a mailed information card get more people out? Perhaps.

The City of Nanaimo tried a handful of new tactics for this election cycle to engage and inform voters of the event.

In the three weeks leading up to election day, the City made 30 distinct social media posts across three platforms which were election-focused, as well as making it a topic on a weekly newsletter sent out to subscribers.

The City also ran advertisements on local media platforms, including NanaimoNewsNOW, and produced a series of six election-themed videos.

Was a digital-heavy campaign the right move? Maybe.

Anecdotal evidence at polling stations across the City showed a majority of voters were older and perhaps less likely to engage on social media platforms and more likely to vote regardless of advertisements or social media push.

Younger votes, more likely to see those digital messages, were few and far between at advance polls and on general voting day.

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Nick L., Nanaimo: There was an election?

NanaimoNewsNOW: Yes there was, and your next chance to change the course of Nanaimo is roughly 1,450 days away.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

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