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Analyse écologique des déterminants de la participation électorale municipale au Québec

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2015

Jérôme Couture ,
Sandra Breux  and
Laurence Bherer
Jérôme Couture*
Affiliation:
Université Laval et INRS-UCS
Sandra Breux*
Affiliation:
Institut National de Recherche Scientifique
Laurence Bherer*
Affiliation:
Université de Montréal
*
Candidat au doctorat, Assistant de recherche, Université Laval et INRS-UCS, 385, rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal (Québec), H2X 1E3Canada. Email: jerome.couture@pol.ulaval.ca, Tel: 514-499-4059, *Auteur à contacter / Corresponding author
Professeur-chercheur, Institut National de Recherche Scientifique, Centre Urbanisation Culture et Société, 385, rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal (Québec), H2X 1E3Canada. Email: sandra.breux@ucs.inrs.ca, Tel: 514-499-4059
Professeure Université de Montréal, Département de science politique Pavillon Lionel-Groulx C. P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal (Québec) H3C 3J7, E-mail: laurence.bherer@umontreal.ca, Téléphone: 514-343-6111 #0744
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Abstract

In Canada, voter turnout at the municipal level is lower than in elections at other levels of government. The reasons that might explain this low turnout are still unclear. The research tests 15 hypotheses to explain municipal electoral participation based on the case of the province of Québec (mayoral elections in 2005 and 2009 in all municipalities in the province, n = 949). The results show that four factors explain voter turnout and its variations: the size of the electorate, the presence of elderly voters, the margin of victory, and the number of candidates. These results improve our understanding of the cost of voting at the municipal level and they stress the need for conducting additional monographic investigations on this topic in Canada, especially in larger municipalities where voter turnout is often lower.

Résumé

Au Canada, la participation électorale à l’échelle municipale est plus faible qu'aux autres échelles de gouvernement et les raisons susceptibles d'expliquer ce moindre engagement sont encore mal connues. À partir des taux de participation à la mairie aux élections de 2005 et de 2009 dans l'ensemble des municipalités du Québec (n = 949), la recherche teste 15 hypothèses explicatives de la participation électorale municipale. Les résultats montrent que quatre facteurs expliquent en grande partie la participation électorale municipale et ses variations. Il s'agit de la taille de l’électorat, de la présence d'un électorat âgé, de la marge victorieuse et du nombre de candidats en lice. Ces résultats permettent de mieux cerner le coût du vote à l’échelle municipale, tout en soulignant la nécessité de réaliser davantage d'enquêtes monographiques sur cet objet au Canada, notamment dans les plus grandes municipalités où la participation électorale y est plus faible.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 47 , Issue 4 , December 2014 , pp. 787 - 812
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2015 

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