Less than 40 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the 2006 municipal election.

Fred Eisenberger pulled off a narrow victory in the mayoralty race with just more than 50,000 supporters out of 340,941 eligible voters.

Many ward races were decided with less than 8,000 voters casting ballots.

Take Ward 4 for example. Out of 27,984 eligible voters, only 9,135 bothered to vote. The same level of apathy can be identified in the majority of ward races in the 2006 election.

These result are a sad commentary on the level of engagement by citizens in local government.

Alarm bells should be ringing at city hall, as we prepare for the 2010 municipal election Oct. 25. Yet there seems to be a lack of concern among our politicians regarding how to address voter apathy and encourage citizens to become more engaged in local government.

Why isn’t our council debating options or ideas to increase voter turnout?

Likely because incumbents in this city don’t want things to change. Any effort to increase civic engagement in the political process is viewed as a threat to re-election.

However, there are progressive councils across Ontario taking proactive steps to address declining voter turnout.

The City of Pembroke council recently passed a bylaw that authorizes voting over the Internet and by telephone as alternatives to asking people to go to polling stations.

Mobility issues, bad weather and busy schedules are just some of the factors that may prevent voters from getting to polling stations.

By making it as easy as possible, Pembroke council hopes more voters will participate in the 2010 election.

With electronic voting, eligible voters in Pembroke will receive a card in the mail with a PIN number, as well as the names of the candidates vying for mayor and councillor positions. Each name would be associated with a number.

Voters could then either log in online with their PIN number and vote via the Internet or call in, verify their identification with their PIN number and vote over the phone, using a secure voice mail system.

This isn’t Pembroke’s first attempt to address voter apathy. In 2006, it, along with a number of other municipalities, experimented with mail-in ballots. This initiative saw voter turnout increase by seven per cent.

Closer to home, Thorold council is considering using mail-in ballots for the upcoming election.

The Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO) recommends municipalities incorporate more than one method of casting a ballot.

Since the introduction of alternative voting methods in various municipalities across Ontario, statistics have revealed that voter participation increases when voters have a choice in the method of voting. Evidence also indicates cost savings through the use of alternative voting methods.

However, there has been little to no discussion about this issue at Hamilton City Hall. Council has not asked for any reports on alternative voting and seems satisfied with the status quo. This is unacceptable.

Hamilton is in desperate need of election reform to help stem the decline of voter turnout in municipal elections. The fact that our current council has done nothing to address voter apathy, while dramatic changes are being made in other municipalities, is a shame.