‘It does feel weird’: One-fifth of Ontario’s election races have already been won — without a ballot being cast

Less than three weeks before the Oct. 24 municipal election, one-fifth of all races in Ontario have already been decided - without a ballot being cast.

It's a political phenomenon known as acclamation, and new election data shows that it's on the rise.

This year, nearly 20 per cent of all elected municipal positions in the province have already been acclaimed, according to an analysis released last week by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). That's a five per cent increase from 2014.

The number of municipal candidates has significantly declined as well. This year, there are 6,306 candidates running for office, nearly 22 per cent less than in 2010, when 8,039 people tossed their hat in the ring. (The number of seats hasn't changed much.)

Politicians and academics believe low pay, long hours and deteriorating public discourse, including a rise in threats to elected officials, might explain why fewer people are getting involved in local politics - resulting in more uncontested races.

It does feel weird," said Terry Richardson, who was recently acclaimed as mayor in Greater Napanee, a town of nearly 17,000 that's about 40 minutes west of Kingston.

He was all geared up for a campaign when he heard the news. It was a tad anticlimactic, said the retired police officer, who became a councillor in 2018.

He feels extremely humbled" by his win, but he doesn't believe this will become a trend in Greater Napanee, where several candidates are vying for the remaining seats on council.

I sometimes wonder if it was just a blip on the radar screen," he said.

Perhaps that's true in Greater Napanee, but it doesn't seem to be the case across Ontario, especially in smaller, rural towns. According to the AMO's data, 32 municipalities, or eight per cent across the province, saw their councils fully acclaimed this year. In 2014, that figure sat at four per cent.

Strikingly, one-third of all mayors, reeves and heads of council have also already been acclaimed this year, based on AMO data.

Meanwhile, compared to four years ago, there are 14 per cent fewer incumbents up for re-election.

Dan Mathieson, Stratford's longtime mayor, is among those who have left politics. When you don't have the fire in your belly anymore, it's time to move on," he said.

Mathieson was first elected to city council in 1995. He became mayor eight years later. The political landscape has changed dramatically during that time, owing in large part, he believes, to online misinformation.

Back then, there was a level of trust and understanding in public institutions," he said. Now, people are increasingly adversarial and often bring in their own set of facts and information."

And you're either for them or against them," he continued. It's not about consensus anymore. It's not about bridging gaps between things. It's either my way or that way."

He said that shift began around 10 years ago, as social media became ubiquitous and the local press continued to crater. Four years ago, Mathieson installed security cameras at his home.

There's been things said online that are malicious and not true," Mathieson said. I don't want to subject my family to that anymore."

Kemi Akapo, who was elected to Peterborough's council in 2018, can relate.

She and other colleagues faced a barrage of abuse during this past term, often a consequence of COVID-19 policies. At one point, she was receiving 15 to 20 menacing, conspiracy-laden emails every day.

Akapo said she never took the threats that seriously. But when I was out in public," she said, I was a lot more vigilant."

Like Mathieson, she's not running for re-election. After four years balancing her council work with another job at a non-profit that supports immigrants and refugees, often working until midnight, she didn't think she had the energy to continue doing both.

Oftentimes, you're just running from meeting to meeting," she said. You don't really have time to sit and assess everything to the extent that I feel it deserves."

The job is part-time in name and pay only," Akapo said. One year, when she tried to take Christmas off, she said an angry constituent called her an entitled b---h."

In 2020, councillors in Peterborough earned around $33,000 - which is actually more than most in Ontario. According to a 2018 report from the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers, about two-thirds of municipalities in Ontario paid councillors less than $20,000 annually.

Acclamations are much more common at the municipal level due to the lack of political parties and the natural advantage of incumbents, according to Jack Lucas, a political science professor at the University of Calgary.

Even when a federal or provincial party doesn't believe it can win a riding, it will almost always run a candidate, preventing the possibility of acclamation. Incumbents also tend to fare especially well in municipal elections, which can scare off potential challengers.

There isn't enough data to determine whether Ontario's rise in acclamations and decline in overall candidacy is part of a national trend, said Lucas.

But he does find it concerning for democracy. Elections not only hold leaders to account, but they also inform people about what's happening in their town, he said.

An uncontested mayoral race also likely leads to weaker turnout overall, he added.

Meanwhile, Mathieson and Akapo believe the state of municipal politics requires a dramatic overhaul.

That could mean increasing councillors' salaries, which would broaden the pool of people able to run and give elected officials more time to focus on council work.

But, fundamentally, they're calling for a shift in the way constituents engage with their elected officials and greater clarity on what constituents can expect from them. Many people, they said, don't seem to understand the responsibilities of municipal governments and what they can - or, perhaps more importantly, can't - control.

I think we need to have a reset with regard to how we believe democracy works," Mathieson said.

Ben Mussett is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: bmussett@thestar.ca