Winnipeggers disengaged in election, lowering voter turnout: polling

Many Winnipeggers are not interested in or following the civic races as October’s election day ticks closer, polling shows, amid decreasing voter turnout.

“The city is cash-strapped and not really in a position to do much. People are going to be disengaged because we can vote, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to change anything,” said Aaron Moore, University of Winnipeg political science professor.

In 2022, 37.5 per cent of Winnipeggers cast a ballot; in 2018, it was 42 per cent, and in 2014 it was 50 per cent, according to the city’s official election results from 2014 to 2022.

Polling shows that 46 per cent of Winnipeggers don’t want Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham for a second term, according to a Probe Research and Abacus Data survey released in June 2026 on behalf of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Gillingham won his term in 2022 with 27.54 per cent support, a close split with Glen Murray, who had 25 per cent in 2022, according to the city’s official election results.