Voter turnout dropped in N.W.T. communities facing active COVID-19 outbreaks

The Northwest Territorieshad its lowest federal voter turnout since 2008.

This year, there were 4,827fewer votes than there were in 2015,with 47 per cent of registered voters casting a ballot,according to poll-by-poll data from Elections Canada, or14,250 out of 30,182.

It was a narrow race between Liberal MP Michael McLeod and his closest contender,NDP candidate Kelvin Kotchilea.

The N.W.T. has seen a steady drop in voter turnout in the past few elections, with 53 per cent (15, 655 out of 29,020) of registered voters casting a ballot in 2011, 63 per cent (19,077 out of 30,110) in 2015 and53 per cent(16,416 out of 30,000) again in 2019.

Between 2015 and 2021, the number of rejected (or spoiled) ballots rose from 104 to 155.

On voting day, Sept, 20, the N.W.T. hadactive COVID-19 outbreaks in Yellowknife, Ndil, Dettah and Behchok, with hundreds of cases and many more contacts in isolation who were not permitted to enter a polling station.

Latest poll-by-poll data from Elections Canada shows roughly 100 fewer election-day votes in Behchok, includingEdzo.

In Yellowknife, the number of votes dropped by 1,814. In 2019, there were 6,514 votes compared to 4,701 this year.

What had around30 active cases on voting day, and the poll data suggests that affected voter turnout.In 2015, 181 people cast ballots inWhat but this year, just 102 people voted.

Hay River, which has nine active cases around election time,saw a similar drop. The community's voter turnout was cut in half from 1,470 in 2015 down to 832 in 2021.

How candidates performed by region

In NDP candidate Kelvin Kotchilea's hometown of Behchok, the votes split evenly between him and McLeod, whotook a lead in Whatbut trailed behind slightly in Wekwet.

Kotchilea shot ahead of McLeod in Fort Smith, earning 258 votes to McLeod's 183.

McLeod performed best in the Deh Cho, with a landslide of votes in his hometown of Fort Providence.McLeodalso outperformed Kotchileain the Sahtu, earning three to five times as many votes as Kotchilea in communities like Deline, Fort Good Hope and Tulita.

Norman Wells is one exception, where votes split evenly between McLeod and Kotchilea, and parachute Conservative Party candidate Lea Mollison earned a quarter of votes.

McLeod had a strong lead in Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk, Tsiigehtchic and Fort McPherson, but not in Ulukhaktok, where votes were split down the middle.

Both McLeod and Kotchilea saw even support in Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, and Dettah.