Summer byelections are typically sleepy affairs that could be easily ignored by voters, but members of the opposition are hoping a slate of high-profile candidates in Ontario’s upcoming race will lure more people to the polls.

Unlike general elections, during which the public’s attention tends to focus on the parties and their leaders, individual candidates’ strengths and popularity can grab the spotlight in byelection campaigns.

“There is no province-wide campaign going on,” Laura Stephenson, a political science professor at Western University, told CTVNews.ca. “The leader is not the focus anymore. You don’t have that campaign pushing you toward thinking about the leader as the next premier. We know that the premier is not going to change.”

With Premier Kathleen Wynne’s job assured, University of Windsor political science professor Cheryl Collier says Liberal supporters may be less inclined to vote. That presents an opportunity for the opposition.

“If I were a PC or NDP supporter, there’s a lot more that would drive my interest in getting involved in this byelection,” Collier said.

A number of candidates well-known in their ridings for past political endeavours will be on the ballot August 1, when a total of five byelections will held:

  • In the Toronto riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, two city councillors and allies of Mayor Rob Ford are vying to represent the community at Queen’s Park: Liberal candidate Peter Milczyn and Tory nominee Doug Holyday. Milczyn is a lifelong Etobicoke resident who has represented the riding at the municipal level since 2000, while Holyday has enjoyed time in the media spotlight as Toronto’s deputy mayor.
     
  • In the east-end riding of Scarborough-Guildwood, former mayoral candidate and TTC chair Adam Giambrone is running for the NDP, despite the fact he lives in Toronto’s west end.
     
  • In the Windsor-Tecumseh riding, Percy Hatfield, a former localreporter-turned popular city councillor, is running for the NDP, and polls show he has more than 50-per-cent support from decided voters.
     
  • In a surprise move, the Liberals recruited former teachers’ union head Ken Coran to run in London West, despite leading Ontario’s high school teachers in a tense labour dispute with the government last year. Coran has credited Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne with persuading him to run for the party, saying he believes in her values.

Experts says recruiting high-profile candidates play a big role in byelection strategy, where the political climate allows for the nominees to capture more of the spotlight.

“It’s not an accident that candidates like that are running in a byelection,” says University of Toronto political science professor Lawrence LeDuc. “You can do the same thing in a general election, of course. It’s just that it’s overwhelmed by provincial issues and party leaders.”

In Ontario’s 2011 general election, a record-low 49.2 per cent of eligible residents voted.

And in spite of the presence of some star-power on theupcoming byelection ballots, experts are not expecting a big turnout when the polls open August 1 -- especially since voting day lands one day ahead of a summer long weekend, when many Ontarians head to cottage country. 

While that might worry some, LeDuc says low overall interest can actually provide opportunities.

“In a low turnout election, every voter you can turn out who might not otherwise showed up, matters more.”