In preparation for Montreal’s next municipal election in 2025, the City of Montreal met to improve how to handle the election and increase voting rates, as the last election saw a decrease in voter participation. 

The City of Montreal said the last municipal election in 2021 saw a reduction in voter turnout and they want to improve this to see more participation in the next election.

The objective of the consultation is to better understand the low participation rate and to identify what could increase participation in the next municipal elections.

The city identified that participation rate is generally lower in the boroughs where there is less social equity. As a result, the city must work for better social equity, housing for all, public transport, to the development of green and blue spaces to improve participation rate in these neighbourhoods. 

The three most pressing challenges to deal with the issues of declining citizen participation is to modernize voting through better technology, diverse representation within candidates running in the elections and to fight against cynicism – cited as their biggest challenge.

The city said that the 2021 elections remind them that they must continue to educate the public about the reality of Montreal, continue to diversify and improve its services when the needs are diverse, and that the predictability of the election rules are decisive. They said that in a metropolis of 1.1 million voters, the rules must be known at least a year before the date that the polls opening. 

They cited that holding an election during a pandemic has greatly influenced its preparation and will possibly lead to new ways of doing things.

In an increasingly diverse city, Elections Montreal has improved its communications in several languages ​​and with the help of accessible documents.

The city said the simpler the election rules are, the easier they will be understood – adding that simple rules will make it easier for people who are less likely to participate to participate.

They also noted that actions to facilitate the participation of vulnerable people must continue.