Voter turn-out in Tuesday's provincial election was at an all-time low across British Columbia, a disturbing trend that has seen voter participation fall steadily for the last two decades.
Initial figures from Elections B.C. show only 48 per cent of voters turned out to vote province-wide in Tuesday's election.
Voter participation has declined steadily across British Columbia since 1983, when a record high 77 per cent of voters cast ballots. That number has fallen in every subsequent election.
Only 62 per cent voted in 2005.
A poll released by Angus Reid Strategies leading up to the May 12 election indicated both the BC Liberal and New Democrat leaders were struggling to make a connection to British Columbian voters.
"One of the problems is clearly the way the two main parties engaged with the public," said analyst Mario Canseco.
Canseco says part of the problem is that both the Liberal and NDP campaigns were based on negative tactics.
"The BC Liberals warned about an economic collapse with the NDP in power, and the NDP focused on Gordon Campbell's personality. In a way, these ideas preach to the choir, and led to slight gains and losses in the popular vote."
The popular vote remained almost unchanged from the 2005 election.
The low numbers seem to suggest a province of citizens unmotivated to get out and vote.
"This is a problem for the political parties, who need to reassess the way they get their message across, not only to their supporters, but to people who are becoming engaged in politics for the first time, such as younger voters or immigrants who recently became citizens."
Elections officials were anticipating a record high number of British Columbians would cast ballots based on high advanced polling figures, which were up 45 per cent from the 2005 election - or about 90,000 people.
The low turnout came despite increased efforts by Elections B.C. to register marginalized voters, including the homeless. They also targeted First Nations voters who don't traditionally vote in large numbers.
