Last minute campaigning can make a difference, says Wilfrid Laurier political scientist

Election eve in Waterloo region Some voters have already cast their ballots in advanced polls, but the last hour of a campaign can make a difference. CTV's Taz Dhaliwal.

Speaking on the eve of election day, Wilfrid Laurier University political science associate professor, Andrea Perella, says those final hours ahead of the vote can still be valuable.

"The more people are engaged, the more you have contact with them, the more likely they'll want to go vote,” Perella explained.

“It may not necessarily persuade them to change their vote. I think if anyone has decided by now, they're pretty much fixed,” he added.

But some voters say they haven't noticed candidates ringing their doorbell.

"I think it's important to go out and vote but obviously things are pretty quiet, if the voting day is tomorrow then I’m not seeing a lot of last minute activity, at least from this perspective,” said Scott Prevost, a local voter.

"There's never been a line-up at the door of my house,” said Barrie Ralph, another local voter. “But I’ve always had one at least or two and there was one woman who came representing a school board candidate.”

Perella said that for municipal candidates, outreach can be more difficult than elections for other levels of government.

"It could be a question of budget. Provincial, federal elections have a lot of money around,” Perella said.

“The big parties especially, have more funds available, more staff that can support, more active canvassing. At the municipal level, you're pretty much on your own,” he added.

Perella also said that reaching out to voters directly is one of the best ways to engage people and get them to the ballot box.

"Most people are not that engaged in the research. They wait for the information to get to them and that why it's important for candidates to go door to door, to talk to people,” Perella stated.

For some voters, like Man-Yee Sun, who says she likes to do her own research on candidates and doesn’t get swayed easily by last minute pitches, little encouragement is needed for her to cast her ballot.

"I know some people think that voting doesn’t matter because you’re one voice in hundreds of thousands sometimes, but I do think that it is important to get out there and make it known that you do care about process,” Sun said.

“Voting is your way to make your opinion count."