Quesnel, take a bow.

Out of 7,061 eligible voters in the city, almost half cast your ballots in Saturday’s municipal election.

That 49.87 per cent more than tops the provincial average of 26.78 per cent – by a long shot.

Provincially, out of the estimated 2,924,633 estimated eligible voters, 783,161 ballots were cast.

Communities with similar populations of Quesnel had lower voter turn-outs. They include Terrace, Sooke, Williams Lake and Summerland. Interestingly, Qualicum Beach, with eight more residents than Quesnel, saw a 54.89 per cent turnout.

Interestingly, Vancouver suburbs and larger cities in the Okanagan had a lower turnout.

There were some big issues at stake in Quesnel.

Mayor Nate Bello faced a huge nemesis in Coun. Mary Sjostrom, challenging him for the top council seat.

With two council seats vacant and 10 people running for six spots around the table, voters had a tough time choosing.

The multi-centre referendum asked residents if they were OK with the city and CRD borrowing up to $15 million from them to secure further funding from senior government.

It makes you wonder why more people didn’t vote, not only in Quesnel but around B.C.

Perhaps taxpayers weren’t overly thrilled with candidates who didn’t excite them or show any leadership potential.

Perhaps taxpayers were satisfied with the status quo and didn’t want to rock the boat.

Perhaps they felt they didn’t know enough about the candidates and couldn’t make an informed decision. Perhaps they just didn’t care enough to vote.

We are lucky we live in a democratic society where everyone over the age of 18 has the right to vote.

It’s enshrined in our Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority for government.

Not every country bestows that right onto its people.

We should take that right seriously every time we are asked to go to the polls. We know, as do those running for elected office, they have to abide by what the people have said.

–Quesnel Cariboo Observer