PC candidate Allsopp wins Bay of Quinte by-election
Administrator | Sep 19, 2024 | Comments 5
PC candidate Tyler Allsopp campaigning in Belleville with Premier Doug Ford.
Bay of Quinte by-election voters have chosen Tyler Allsopp to continue carrying the PC Party blue flag here as the new member of provincial parliament.
The riding seat has been vacant for about a month, since PC Todd Smith resigned Aug. 16 to take a job in the private sector with Candu Energy. Smith, a popular cabinet minister, represented the riding since 2011 and won with nearly 50 per cent of the vote in the last two elections.
Allsopp has won just over 38.69 per cent of the vote with a margin of about 2,000 votes over Sean Kelly, Liberal Party candidate, who gained 33.32 per cent of the vote.
Seven candidates were vying for the MPP seat:
Tyler Allsopp PC Party – 14,430 votes (38.69%)
Sean Kelly, Liberal Party – 12,428 votes (33.32%)
Amanda Robertson, New Democratic Party – 8,607 votes (23.08%)
Lori Borthwick, Green Party – 1,186 votes (3.18%)
Margaret Schuler, New Blue Party- 369 votes (0.99%)
John Turmel, Independent – 149 votes (0.40%)
Mark Snow, Libertarian and party leader – 129 votes (0.35%)
Voter turnout was 38.5 per cent, or 37,298 of 97,016 registered electors at 87 polls throughout Prince Edward County, Quinte West and Belleville – only south of Hwy. 401.
Allsopp and Kelly were both Belleville city councillors. Kelly is also a well-known morning radio host. Amanda Robertson, candidate for the NDP, was on leave from her role as vice-chair of the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board.
In the last (full) general election in 2022, the voter turnout was 43,545 (45.91 per cent) of 94,852 total voters.
Smith had 21,381, or 49.30 per cent of the vote followed by Alison Kelly (NDP) with 9,073 (20.9 per cent); Emilie Leneveu (Liberal) with 8,003 (18.45 per cent); Erica Charlton (GPO) with 2,719 (6.7 per cent); Rob Collins (NBO) at 1,128 votes (2.60 per cent) and Noah Wales (ONP) with 1,062 (2.45 per cent).
The legislature resumes Oct. 21
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Agree. Those that chose to vote, chose the status quo. Non voter input is a week late.
Susan’s comment is both correct and insightful.
Let’s do some basic math:
Voter turnout –> 38.5% (https://www.elections.on.ca/content/dam/NGW/sitecontent/2024/media/September%2020%202024%20-%20Unofficial%20results%20for%20Bay%20of%20Quinte%20by-election%20now%20available.pdf)
And per published results, Allsopp received 38.5% of the votes cast.
Therefore –> 38.5% of 38.5% –> 14.9% of eligible voters elected the PCs in this riding.
One would think that people’s voting preferences would logically reflect their own personal interests.
But regardless of whether our system is flawed, or whether some better system may exist, the system we’ve got is the one that we must use.
So, the ones that did not vote, in the end, felt it was in their own best self interest to skip the vote.
And, the 14.9% of people eligible to vote, felt that their own best self interest was served by keeping the seat with Doug Ford.
Just wait until the 2026 PEC Municipal Election. If the past trend continues, there will be even less turnout than in 2022, and any incumbents who run again will no doubt be either acclaimed or elected.
Collectively, we all get the results of the voters, and also the non-voters (the majority action, sadly).
Blaming what people may think is a flawed system for voters not casting a ballot is unhelpful. The non-voters need to step up.
It’s called the majority of those voting. He won a majority of those that took the time and interest to vote.
It is also wise to remember that our present Prime Minister had won his first election because he was going to “implement electoral reform”, and we know how well that went. Democracy in Canada..from any “Party”?
Just like Premier Ford, Allsopp did not really “win”. 61% of the vote was AGAINST him. And, only 38% of the voters bothered to turn out. If anyone wonders why voters are “apathetic”, one very important reason is an electoral system that was designed for two parties and doesn’t work when there are three parties or more. Of coure “winners” like Ford will never implement electoral reform – not when you can control 2/3rds of the legislature wth 40% of the popular vote. Another sad day for “democracy” in Ontario.