The Ontario government remains satisfied that all voters can be accommodated even though the Oct. 24 municipal election falls on Diwali, a major festival celebrated by several faiths.
Melissa Diakoumeas, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said municipalities have several options to assist voters who cannot go in person to polls on election day, including proxy voting, internet voting or voting by mail.
“It is up to each municipality to determine whether to have alternative voting methods based on local needs and circumstances,” Diakoumeas said in an email Thursday. “Municipal clerks have the authority to establish advance voting dates to offer voting opportunities to those who are not able to vote on Oct. 24. Advance voting can be held beginning 30 days before voting day.”
The City of Toronto has several alternative voting options, she said.
Jamaal Myers, a Toronto City Council candidate running in Scarborough’s Ward 23, said about 40% of the residents are of South Asian, East Indian, Guyanese or Trinidadian heritage and a significant number celebrate Diwali.
“They’re concerned that this would hurt turnout, particularly from these communities, and it’s just another barrier to participating,” Myers said Thursday. “I’m worried because there’s already a very real concern based on what we’ve seen in the Ontario election that this will depress turnout even further in our ward.”
The Ontario government has previously moved an election date that conflicted with a major religious holiday as the majority of people vote on the actual day, he said.
The general population would not accept an election on a Judeo-Christian holiday, and the same reasoning should be applied for Diwali, Myers said.
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