None of the Above: Why aren't Quebec Anglos voting?
Voter turnout hit new lows the last time Quebecers went to the polls to elect a provincial government.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer, in 2008 only 57 per cent of people who could vote did.
Some of the lowest turnouts were reported in ridings with the highest number of people who call English their mother tongue.
In Westmount-St-Louis on the island of Montreal, 36 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots that year. Montreal ridings D'Arcy-McGee and Mont-Royal also had markedly low participation.
Compare that to the largely French-speaking voters of Marguerite-D'Youville on Montreal's south shore, where 71 per cent of voters showed up at the polls.
"There are two main reasons people vote. One is a sense of accomplishing your civic duty. The second is a feeling your vote will make a difference," says Christian Bourque, executive vice-president of Leger Marketing and CBC political analyst.
"That motivation for anglophone voters in Quebec, mainly in the West Island ridings, has been taken away from them because there was no race in their local riding. So a lot of people decided to stay home."
Bourque believes that could change on Sept. 4, with frustration growing towards the Liberals who have traditionally won those West Island seats.
"This time around it may be different," he said.
Tune in this week as CBC Radio, CBC Television and CBC.ca take a closer look at the underlying issues behind low voter turnout in None of the Above.
Want to see how your riding compares to the rest of the province?
Check out our interactive map online to see what happened in your area in the 2008..
