Friday, January 15, 2010

All about the turnout

Needless to say, the news that former MP and current party president Peggy Nash will run for the NDP in Parkdale-High Park is great to hear. But what will it take for her to win back the riding?

Interestingly enough, while Nash's 2006 share of the popular vote was lower than that received by the Lib winners before and after, her vote total of 20,790 in that election also represents the high-water mark for any candidate in the riding from 2000 onward. So it doesn't look like the difference between winning and losing resulted from a major swing vote; instead, it was largely a surge in turnout from a usual level of 64% to 70% that played a large part in putting Nash over the top.

As a result, Nash can win back the seat simply by earning back the votes she's already managed to win before. Which means that the NDP should place even more of a premium on boosting turnout in Parkdale-High Park than it figures to in other ridings - and should have an excellent chance to win the seat again if it's up to the challenge.

(Edit: added link.)

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