The civic elections from Rossland to Trail and through the Beaver Valley cost local taxpayers about $45,000. However, when the sum is broken down into the five communities, the price per ballot ranges considerably. Size doesn’t matter when looking at the final tally from each city or village. Rather, it’s more about how many people seized the Nov. 15 opportunity to cast a vote for their favourite politician. While Fruitvale’s cost, about $8,500, fell mid-range on the list of the five municipalities, the price for each vote is the highest because only about one in four eligible electors showed up. With a 23 per cent voter turnout, or 390 from a pool of 1,722, each ballot cost taxpayers $21.86.
Montrose has half the electorate of Fruitvale, and spent $4,260 on the election. Due to a better turnout, about 38 per cent, or 323 votes from 838 eligibles, the village’s cost per ballot is considerably less at $13.19.
Next up is Warfield. That village hadn’t held an election since 2009. So whether it was the chance to vote or the spirited three-way mayoral race – just over 57 per cent of the electorate body paid a visit to the Warfield polling station to have their say.
That translates to $8.95 per ballot, with 677 ballots cast from a pool of approximately 1,175. Of all the municipalities Rossland had the highest voter turnout of 59 per cent – and the lowest cost per ballot, $5.74.
Full Article: BCLocalNews.com – Costs tallied for civic election.