Voter turnout in the 2021 Montreal election was 37.45%; 5% lower than 2017

The 2021 Montreal municipal election was a win for incumbent Mayor Valérie Plante and her Projet Montréal party, who received 52.05% of the vote for mayor, and 59.62% of the share of city council, respectively. Voter turnout, however, was not terribly impressive, with only 37.45% of eligible Montreal voters bothering to come out and vote, despite having four days to do so. That means that 62.55% of eligible voters have zero right to complain about municipal affairs for the next four years.

When asked today about the fact that 2 out 3 Montrealers didn’t vote, Mayor Plante attributed voter apathy to the fact that this was the second election to take place this fall (following the federal election on Sept. 20), and to COVID-19.

Elections Montreal noted that there were 31,848 fewer eligible voters in 2021 compared with the 2017 election, when 42.47% of them cast a vote.

Élection générale 2021 | Le taux de participation à 16 h aujourd'hui est de 31,7 %. Les bureaux de vote seront ouverts jusqu'à 20h. #polmtl #mtl2021 pic.twitter.com/dB1oUeyq6w

— Élections Montréal (@elections_MTL) November 7, 2021

This was not a strictly Montreal phenomenon, with similar dips in voter turnout in other Quebec cities that held municipal elections last night, including Longueuil and Quebec City.

For Montreal municipal election results, please click here.

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