Since the Ontario provincial election was called, one fact has remained clear: this election is moving too fast.
We field emails and calls from other advocacy organizations, all stopping their critical work to ensure the most vulnerable residents have an opportunity to cast their vote. We run through the basics: where do you vote, how do you vote, do you have access to a polling station, are the polling stations accessible, can you vote if you are unhoused (yes, you can), what about newcomers? Indigenous populations? We sit in a Zoom call with partner organizations and someone makes an off-hand remark, voicing what we’ve all been thinking: doesn’t this whole process feel undemocratic?
Our last provincial election in 2022 set records for the lowest voter turnout. Almost 60 per cent of Ontarians did not cast a ballot. As an organization that has spent years working to increase civic engagement among equity-denied communities, the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) has seen firsthand the barriers that make voting inaccessible. We know from experience that people living in poverty, racialized communities, Indigenous populations, people with disabilities, and newcomers face the greatest obstacles to voter engagement. The result? The same voices continue to dominate decision-making, while those who have historically been excluded continue to go unheard.
Elections should be about possibility —a chance for people to shape their future and influence the policies that govern their lives. But when an election is called with little notice, that possibility becomes a privilege. Democracy is not just about having the right to vote, it’s about having the time, resources, and access to exercise that right.
As an intersectional feminist organization that advocates for economic, political and social justice, we watch with fear in our hearts as our southern neighbours’ fundamental rights erode. We are reminded that who is elected to lead our province for the next four years deeply matters. The inequity of our current moment is striking—one-in-four people in our city are hungry, newcomers are entering an inequitable and strained immigration system, and housing insecurity worsens every day.
So, we must ask ourselves, is it democratic to call an election at a time when the world is preoccupied? Is it democratic to call an election when the entire country is focused on a federal leadership race? Is it democratic to call an election 18 months before the expected general election? Is it democratic if only half the population comes out to vote?
At lunchtime in the CAWI office, banter turns into a game of government trivia: which level of government is responsible for…social assistance? Public transit? Bike lanes? School food programs? Housing?” The blurred lines of our three-tiered government system make it hard to answer. Then the conversation shifts to time spent on transit to get to work. For some of us, it’s three times longer by transit than by car. Add daycare pick-ups or grocery runs, and the trip is even longer. Who’s responsible for fixing this? The province? Yes. The federal government? Yes. The municipality? Yes.
For the last few weeks the nonprofit sector has worked tirelessly to educate voters, decipher political responsponsibilities, and help people get to the polls. This is what community organizations do best: we fill the gaps, we mobilize, we engage, and we ensure the most vulnerable still have a voice.
The greatest threats to a flawed system are participation, showing up anyway, refusing to be silenced, and demanding better. Every time we engage, by voting, organizing, demanding more transparency, we push back against a system designed to exclude us.
Democracy is at stake. If you can rally people and communities, now is the time to act. If you believe democracy cannot exist without those who have been silenced and excluded, now is the time to speak out.
This article is submitted by City for All Women Initiative (CAWI), we are an Ottawa-based non-profit that works to advocate for social, economic and political justice. We want to see a more caring and inclusive Ottawa. Contact us at [email protected] or find us on instagram @CAWI_IVTF.
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