Even if you couldn’t make it this evening…
If you know someone in a close riding, we suggest that you drop them a quick, personal note using the following format.
- State why the election is important to you – just be honest here
- Mention that their riding is very close and could determine the whole election
- Remember to mention that the election is on Thursday
- (If you want, suggest who the strategic vote is in their riding)
Don’t try to pressure or guilt them or argue. Simply let them know why you’re concerned and remind them that their vote counts.
SAMPLE:
[Greeting],
I’m pretty worried about the election on Thursday. As you know, I’ve been worried about climate change for a long time and Doug Ford has mostly just moved us backwards on that issue.
I was looking at some of the closest ridings and noticed that you live in one of them — so your vote could actually have a big impact. [It seems like the [Party Name] candidate [candidate name] has the best chance of defeating the PCs in your riding.]
The election is this Thursday and there’s a tool on the Elections Ontario homepage (https://www.elections.on.ca/en.html) where you can look up where your polling station is, if you aren’t sure.
[salutation or relevant small talk you might share if you weren’t emailing about the election]
[Your name]
TEXTING
If this is a person you occasionally text or message, start with something short like “Hey, your riding looks like it could have a big impact on the election. Are you voting on Thursday?” and see where the discussion goes.
Other issue examples:
I’m not sure if you’ve heard much about it, but between the highways and changes to planning policy, Doug Ford is set to eat up a lot of our best farm land and that really worries me. You can read more about it here (https://ontariovoterscoalition.ca/sprawl-and-farmland/).
I’m worried about what will happen in Ontario schools if Doug Ford gets another majority. We have such a big repair backlog which only grew during his first term and now he’s saying he’s going to have mandatory online classes for high school students.
These can simply be one or two sentences and state your personal view of what’s going on.
Other resources:
If you’re emailing a friend who likes lots of evidence and information you may want to share our post on strategic voting (https://ontariovoterscoalition.ca/2022/05/26/who-should-i-vote-for/) or our policy write ups on different issues (https://ontariovoterscoalition.ca/issues/)
Close Ridings
For this list we haven’t included some close ridings that are already likely pick-ups by NDP or Liberals such as Eglinton Lawrence.
Ajax
Strategic vote: the Liberal candidate Amber Bowen
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte
Although this riding is a historically Conservative riding, the Liberals have a star candidate in former mayor Jeff Lehman.
Strategic vote: the Liberal candidate Jeff Lehman
Brantford Brant
Strategic vote: the NDP candidate, Harvey Bischof
Brampton
Brampton Centre, Brampton East and Brampton North are all close ridings but the strategic voting sites disagree on who is in second place. People should consult votewell.ca, stopthesplit.ca and then talk to neighbours and look around at signs.
Burlington
Strategic Vote: Liberal candidate Mariam Manaa
Don Valley North
Strategic vote: the Liberal candidate, Jonathan Tsao (endorsed by Notoneseat)
Etobicoke Centre
Strategic vote: the Liberal candidate, Noel Semple (endorsed by Notoneseat)
Etobicoke North
Strategic vote: the Liberal candidate, Julie Lutete (endorsed by Notoneseat)
Etobicoke Lakeshore
Strategic vote: the Liberal candidate Lee Fairclough (endorsed by Notoneseat)
Kitchener Area
Kitchener has several close ridings and the strategic vote is NDP in all of them — if you know someone in Kitchener but aren’t sure what riding they are in, email them and ask. “I’ve heard there are a lot of close ridings in Kitchener so your vote could make the difference on Thursday. Do you know which riding you’re in?”
Kitchener South Hespeler
Strategic Vote: NDP candidate, Joanne Weston
Kitchener Conestoga
Strategic Vote: NDP candidate, Karen Meissner
Mississauga Area
There are several close ridings in Mississauga and the Liberal candidate is the strategic vote in all of them.
Mississauga Centre – Sumira Malik
Mississauga East – Cooksville – Dipika Damerla
Mississauga Erin Mills – Imran Mian
Mississauga Lakeshore – Elizabeth Mendes
Mississauga – Malton – Aman Gill
Mississauga Streetsville – Jill Promoli
Ottawa West Nepean
This is a close ridings, but the strategic voting sites don’t all agree. People should talk to neighbours and look around for signs to get a sense of who has the best shot.
Parry Sound – Muskoka
Strategic vote: green candidate, Matt Richter
Peterborough-Kawartha
Strategic Vote: Liberal candidate, Greg Dempsey
Fun fact: Peterborough-Kawartha has voted for the party that has won the most seats in every election since 1977.
Sault Ste. Marie
Strategic vote: NDP candidate, Michele McCleave-Kennedy
Scarborough Area
Scarborough has several close ridings, but the strategic vote is not the same in all of them, so, if you’re planning to suggest a strategic vote, it is worth confirming which riding they are in first.
Scarborough – Agincourt
Strategic vote: Liberal candidate, Soo Wong (endorsed by Notoneseat)
Scarborough Centre
Strategic Vote: Liberal candidate, Mazhar Shafiq (endorsed by Notoneseat)
Scarborough North
Strategic vote: Liberal candidate Anita Anandarajan (endorsed by Notoneseat)
Scarborough Rouge Park
Some strategic voting sites suggest Liberal and others suggest NDP. The Liberal candidate Manal Abdallahi has been endorsed by Notoneseat.
Vaughan-Woodbridge
Strategic vote: Liberal candidate, Steven Del Duca
Willowdale
Strategic vote: Liberal candidate, Paul Saguil (endorsed by Notoneseat)
York Centre
Strategic vote: Liberal candidate, Shelley Brown (endorsed by Notoneseat)
York South Weston
This is a closely watched riding because Doug Ford’s nephew Michael Ford is running here.
Many of the strategic voting sites suggest a Liberal vote, but the current incumbent is Faisal Hassan and name recognition goes a long way. This is exactly the type of situation that a riding projection which works by adjusting the historical vote based on province-wide polling will overlook.
Ontario Voters Coalition 