This number should embarrass Prince George residents.
15, 266.
It's got nothing to do with crime or pollution and it's not the number of potholes on city streets.
In a city with 71,974 residents, according to the 2011 census, only 15,266 people bothered to vote in that year's municipal election.
Out of an estimated 53,000 eligible voters, just 28.8 per cent took part.
In 2008, voter turnout was 38 per cent and in 2005, there was a record turnout of 41 per cent of eligible voters.
Those numbers are disgraceful.
Despite the letters to the editor, the online grumbling and the coffee-shop complaining, fewer and fewer residents care about voting, particularly at the municipal level. That's crazy, because the decisions made by mayor and council touch not just our wallets but much of our lives.
What to do about potholes, downtown parking, police detachments and performing arts centre proposals are decided at the city council table. Furthermore, these nine individuals set policy through bylaws on the homes that can be built, the property that can be subdivided, the construction and developments that can proceed, the businesses that can operate and what homeowners can and cannot do in their own backyard.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, six months from today, local residents will choose who represents Prince George as mayor, city councillor and school board trustee. An additional vote will also happen on whether or not Prince George should continue to add fluoride to its water supply.
The Citizen kicks off Your Vote Matters today, our six-month campaign devoted to increasing voter turnout in November's election to at least 50 per cent. Between now and Nov. 15, we will feature stories focused on one simple question - why should I vote?
We will pose that question to religious groups, business organizations, trade unions, First Nations and seniors. We will ask officials in the fields of industry, education, health, tourism, real estate, retail and entertainment to explain how city government decisions affect their operations and why voting is so important.
During the summer and early fall, we will examine the fluoride issue in detail, so voters can make an educated decision on its future in Prince George.
In September, we will publish analysis of the major decisions made by the current mayor and city council, including a score card of how they individually voted on the most important decisions that came before them.
In October, once the campaign officially kicks off, we will host community forums, both in person and online, so residents can hear directly from the candidates.
In the final week of the election period, we will provide space for each of the candidates to contribute 300 words each, not so they can tell us why people should vote for them in particular but why people should bother to vote at all.
All of this material, along with plenty of additional background from the Citizen archives, will be available on a special page on our website devoted to the 2014 municipal election (we'll let you know as soon as it goes live). We will simulcast our election forums through our website and through social media. On election night, The Citizen, which boasts the most reporters in a single newsroom of any media organization in the B.C. Interior, will get results and reaction through stories, photographs, audio and video, on our website and through all of our social media channels.
Monday's print edition of the Citizen will provide a full recap of Saturday's election, along with a look-ahead at the challenges and opportunities the new city council and school board will face in the next four years.
As important as what we pledge to do is what we won't do in the next six months. We will continue to analyze and criticize the decisions of the current mayor and council but we will neither encourage or discourage voters from supporting them. We won't be endorsing candidates. We won't tell you who to vote for because we won't forget our slogan, Your Vote Matters, starts with "your vote."
We look forward to spending the next six months providing you with as many reasons as possible to cast your ballot on Nov. 15.
