‘It’s your right’: Edmontonians on why they’re headed to the polls Monday

Low turnout in previous municipal elections has one political analyst hoping more people turn out to vote Monday. CTV Edmonton's Gates Guarin has that story.

CTV News Edmonton hit the streets to see why residents think voting is important and what some of their top issues are ahead of Monday’s election.

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While Elijah Gogerla said he needs to brush up on the candidates’ platforms, he has every intention of voting.

“It’s definitely an important thing for me – municipal politics – because it affects you right at home,” he said. “I think everyone should really pay more attention.”

Utilities, taxes and roads are some of Gogerla’s top issues that he’ll be thinking about when he casts his ballot.

With the numbers for advanced polls trending lower than in 2021, political analyst John Brennan chalks it up to the municipal election being drowned out by other issues, such as the teachers’ strike or issues in the U.S.

“When we got polling earlier in the summer that showed a majority of Edmontonians thought the city was on the wrong track and there needed to be a change at city hall, I thought that meant this was going to be a change election,” said Brennan.

“There are just so many other distractions in the news that it just seems this year, the municipal election in Edmonton just hasn’t resonated with Edmontonians.”

Brennan said he’s also concerned about a low election day turnout as a result of the Canada Post strikes.

“Edmontonians have not gotten their ‘Get Out to Vote’ cards in the mail, and traditionally, that’s when people are reminded,” he said, adding that we will likely see a 40-per-cent turnout this year.

Megan Stefaynk said it can be hard to get excited about the municipal election, but that it’s important to have a say in what happens in the city.

“It’s your right to vote, it’s your duty to vote and you just have to do it,” she said.

Transit safety and municipal projects are some of the top issues from Stefanyk

Despite a low advanced poll turnout, mother of two Olivia Scibetta said she thinks more and more people are getting involved with municipal politics.

“A couple of years ago, I would have never even heard about it, and I didn’t vote, to be honest with you,” she said. “I think people are just becoming more aware of what they want and their opinions matter.”

For Scibetta, health care and education will be influencing her vote come Monday.

The same goes for Matthew Cassells.

“We have a young family and we care a lot about education and the health-care system and some of the changes that have been made, so we want to have our voice (represented),” he said. “We’ve done our part to research and we will be there for sure.”

Roads and bike lanes are the big issues for Daniel Starkman, who says it’s important to exercise your right as a citizen to vote.

“We should get what we want in terms of our representation and it’s important that as many people vote as they can,” said Starkman.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Gates Guarin