When the Council Accountability Group (CAG) was created in September 2019 our goal was to increase resident’s awareness of the policies, actions and impact of the decisions made by Richmond Hill’s City council. In order to engage residents and to encourage them to get out and vote, they needed to be informed voters.
This Mayoral by-election has shown that informed residents become informed voters. The voter turnout increased by 5% over the 2018 Municipal elections which is a considerable increase considering that it was a by-election in the winter during a pandemic.
The availability of online voting certainly helped with the increased voter turnout as 93% of the votes were cast online.
The hope is that Council will reconsider its decision and allow online voting for the October elections as well.
It is encouraging to see that when residents become informed voters they will vote and in turn can and did make a positive difference in this by-election.
CAG would like to thank the many residents who donated time and money to help Get Out The Vote! Over the past month, with your help, we distributed 10,000 flyers, reached over 26,000 people with Facebook/Instagram advertising and had GOTV advertising in the Liberal that was delivered to over 40,000 households. It made a difference and it shows in the 5% increase in voter turnout.
But it’s not over yet!
We have the momentum now which will lead us into the October 2022 Municipal election that will see us electing an entire new council for the next 4 years.
We need to stay informed and engaged. We need to tell everyone in Richmond Hill that we voted and made a difference and convince them to do the same in October.
CAG will continue to be there to guide you and keep you informed along the way. We will continue to provide you with timely updates about council decisions and provide you with information needed so that we can once again Get Out The Vote for the October elections.
Vote and make a difference in the outcome of the October election just like we did in this Mayoral by-election! We have the power. We Are Richmond Hill!
Thank you and please stay informed,
Marian, Marj, Paul, Adriana and Scott
Council Accountability Group Richmond Hill Inc. (CAG)