Participation rates down across the region
Participation rates down across the region
The rate of participation was down in the majority of jurisdictions throughout the Pontiac region.
Only about a third of electors voted for the new warden of MRC des Collines, where the Municipality of Pontiac is situated, with just 38.5% casting a ballot. This is the first time that the position has been decided by universal suffrage.
In a statement published on their website, the Municipality of Pontiac noted that the participation rate was down in this election, with 42.6% of electors exercising their right to vote. This is a roughly 3% decline from the 2017 elections.
The turnout was down in most other jurisdictions in the region (where the data is available), however there were a few outliers. Rapides-des-Joachims, with four candidates for mayor in a municipality of only about 200 voters had the highest rate of participation at 78.7%, up from 72.1% in 2017. L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet also saw a substantial increase in participation (50.4% to 69.5%).
Shawville, with 6 of the seven council seats contested, saw a small increase in participation from the previous election (55.5% to 56.2%), as did Alleyn-et-Cawood (57.1% to 58.4%).
The biggest declines in participation were in Mansfield-et-Pontefract and L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, with decreases of 19.1% and 13% resepectively. Fort-Coulonge and Clarendon also saw double digit declines in participation.
Note that the participation rate is only calculated in municipalities that have elections for mayor, but here is a breakdown of participation in the jurisdictions with data available:
| Jurisdiction |
Number of electors |
Number of valid ballots |
Rejected votes |
Participation rate |
Rate in 2017 |
% difference |
| Alleyn et Cawood | 310 | 178 | 3 | 58.40% | 57.2% | +1.3% |
| Bryson | 512 | 284 | 10 | 57.4% | N/A | N/A |
| Clarendon | 1,112 | 446 | 4 | 40.50% | 52.30% | -11.8% |
| Fort Coulonge | 1,091 | 612 | 13 | 57.30% | 69.30% | -12% |
| L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet | 596 | 414 | 0 | 69.50% | 50.4% | +19.1% |
| L’Isle-aux-Allumettes | 1,382 | 692 | 2 | 50.20% | 63.20% | -13% |
| Mansfield-et-Pontefract | 1,977 | 875 | 10 | 44.80% | 64.60% | -19.6% |
| MRC Pontiac | 12,937 | 6,265 | 170 | 48.40% | 60% | -11.6% |
| Municipality of Pontiac | 4,699 | 1,980 | 19 | 42.50% | 45.60% | -3.1% |
| Portage-du-Fort | 217 | 165 | 0 | 76% | 77.70% | -1.7% |
| Rapides-des-Joachims | 122 | 96 | 0 | 78.70% | 72.10% | +6.6% |
| Shawville | 1,323 | 736 | 7 | 56.20% | 55.50% | +0.7% |
| Thorne | 633 | 308 | 10 | 50.20% | 60.10% | -9.9% |
| MRC des Collines | 41,326 | 15,298 | 619 | 38.50% | N/A | N/A |
A full breakdown of election results is available here.
