Saint John Mayor Don Darling. (Image: Brad Perry)
Saint John’s mayor is pushing the provincial government to follow through on legislation that has been tabled that would see permanent residents get the right to vote.
Don Darling says this has been a topic of conversation municipally for years. In 2014, Saint John’s council sent a letter to the provincial government encouraging them to make the change.
The mayor says the number one reason to extend voting rights to permanent residents is because it’s the right thing to do, but that’s not the only reason he believes they should make the change.
Darling says enticing new immigrants is also a great strategy to help the province meet its goals for population growth.
“Why not be the first province in the country that says to new (residents), ‘if you come to Saint John, New Brunswick, we value you so much that you’ll be allowed to vote in our municipal elections, so your voice can be truly heard.'”
The discussion around extending the vote is part of a larger discussion of the Municipal Elections Act. The province had been scheduled for municipal elections in 2020, but they were delayed one year due to the pandemic.
Darling’s push for permanent residents to be extended the right to vote comes alongside a related push to improve turnout in municipal elections.
The mayor recently tweeted that the last municipal election saw under 38 per cent of eligible electors cast a vote, and he’d like to see that number grow in 2021.
In the 2016 municipal election in Saint John, only 37.9% of eligible voters voted. If you didn't vote, what were some of the reasons? What could be done to encourage you to vote?
— Don Darling (@dondarlingSJ) December 12, 2020
Darling announced last year he would not re-offer in the next election, but he said he plans to play ‘an active role’ in the upcoming race. Part of that plan involves advocating for those who don’t currently have the right to vote.
“We need to grow our population, full stop,” he said. “And that is going to come from immigration. So I’m suggesting let’s roll out the red carpet.”
