LONDON, ON – As polls closed last night and votes were counted, Londoners woke up to a new political reality – one of which a majority may have trouble remembering.
“I almost forgot there was an election yesterday,” said 37-year-old parent Elliot Ditch. “I was at Clovermead all day for the kids’ PA Day, then rushed to the polls after seeing some voting signs.”
London voters elected Josh Morgan as the city’s new Mayor with 66% of the vote. Morgan, who has acted as Deputy Mayor since 2020, will serve as London’s 65th mayor. Outgoing Mayor Ed Holder announced his retirement from political life, only serving one term as London mayor.
“I’m pretty sure I voted for Josh - I think I did. I just closed my eyes and pointed to the ballot,” said Ditch. “After pointing to the blank space at the bottom of the ballot a couple of times, I finally landed on his name. I’m glad he won!”
Voter apathy and low turn-out has been a problem in recent elections. The last municipal election in 2018 saw 39% of eligible voters cast a vote. Political observers expect another low voter turnout this time around. This election – the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, saw many local issues, such as affordable housing and public transportation at stake.
“I almost voted for Khalil Ramal,” said Ditch. “I think he brought up homelessness somewhere at some point. And I also saw more of his signs in my neighbourhood. But I let my finger and my subconscious do all the work.”
Now the real work begins for the new mayor and the newly elected city council. Londoners will see many new faces on council as eight new councillors were elected. They are replacing many incumbents who did not seek re-election.
“They should be fine,” said Ditch. “There are so many local issues directly affecting Londoners. Most of them are probably Justin Trudeau’s fault anyway.”
The Newsload is watching this story as it develops.
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