Record-low voter turnout seen as 'a huge problem'

Voter turnout at Monday's provincial election in Newfoundland and Labrador suredidn't set any records for a high turnout.

It did, however, set a record for a low one. Just 55.2 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

We tend to havepoliticiansthat often play politicsand it turns thepublic off.- Steve Tomblin

"I think it's a huge problem,"SteveTomblin,a political scientist at Memorial University, said in an interview Wednesday.

Tomblinsaidthe low turnout was the directresult of a campaign that lacked substance and didn't connect with voters.

"I don't think there was a lot of excitement, saidTomblin, comparing politics to hockey.

"People kind of become disconnected and don't trust government and they don't feel that the game is exciting enough to pay attention."

He simply said if teams aren't getting results, the game isn't exciting enough for people to show up.and this can weigh heavily on the democratic system as a whole.

Lack of focus

Tomblin said the province has many issues and problems that the parties could have highlighted but unlike the federal campaign, there was a lack of focus.

In the federal election, he said, voterssaw Liberal Leader JustinTrudeau clearly identify the problems with the Harper government.

The focus on specific areas like science, climate control and refugees got people interested and paying attention.

"We saw a lot more conviction, a lot more focus in terms of the problems that were being created by the Harper government and voters turned out because they were energized, they were excited," said Tomblin.

"If they really want to engage the public,they need to reachouttothepublic, they need to providespecificsintermsof what huge problems were facing in the provincewiththecollapsein energy prices and the fiscal imperative," he said.

Politics trumps public policy but I think that's bad for the public.- Steve Tomblin

Tomblinfelt the provincialcampaign lacked those details and the party platforms focused on ideas that have been around for decades.

He added that voters may have felt a bit of political fatigue because of the recent federal election but people seemed to be more tuned out than tired.

"I don't think people are really fatiguedI think they're just turned off," said Tomblin.

"People will go to the mall for 10hours, theywill party until four or five in the morninghow difficult is it to walk into a ballot box and mark your X?"

Local race a priority

He saidthe polls alsomade people feel there wasn't much of a race and that the winner was already determined.

However, towards the end of the race, he said many candidates like Paul Davis and Steve Kentfocusedprimarily on their districtsand mobilized people to get out and vote.

This landed the PCsin a much better position for the Oppositionthan had beenpredicted and may have played a role in the higher turnout in selected areas.

"It became almost a campaign at a local level and they kind of weren't part of the bigger race," said Tomblin.

Change needed

Tomblinsaid,for the most part, the public wasn't paying attention during the campaign, andthe parties lacked aggressiveness.

"The game kindof determines behaviour,and politics trumps public policy,but I think that's bad for the public," said Tomblin.

"We tend to havepoliticians thatoften play politics and they don'tprovidethedetailsand it turns thepublic off, and it really kind ofunderminesthe legitimacy of the decision making processitself."

"I think the game is designed for those in positions of power and I think there needs to be alot of discussion on how we can change that."