Since taking office in 2018, Progressive Conservative candidates have increasingly avoided local debates during the recent snap election campaign. John Beebe from the Democratic Engagement Exchange highlights this trend as detrimental to democracy, especially given Ontario's recent record low voter turnout. He emphasizes the importance of informal candidate interactions for engaging first-time and infrequent voters. This trend was exemplified by numerous Hamilton candidates skipping organized debates, and PC incumbent Lisa Thompson also missing a health care debate, which raises concerns about accountability and voter engagement.
"But it's those more informal back and forth takes that are critical to the health of our democracy... it's particularly important for first-time and infrequent voters who haven't already made up their minds to hear from candidates directly."
“The trend of candidates skipping local debates is not healthy for democracy... many in the province already demonstrate an apathy toward voting."
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