Vote mobs and exhortations appear not to have improved voter turnout in the 2011 federal election.

According to the preliminary results from Elections Canada, 23,971,740 Canadians were registered voters (an unknown number registered on election day). Turnout was 14,720,580 -- 61.4 percent. This was better than the 58.8 percent in 2008, but lower than the 64.7 percent turnout in 2006. This year's turnout was closely comparable to 2000 (61.2) and 2004 (60.9), and well below those of 1993 (69.6) and 1997 (67.0).

Elections Canada also recorded a 39.6 percent vote for the Conservatives, 30.6 for the New Democrats, and 18.9 for the Liberals. The Bloc Quebecois received 6 percent. The Green Party gathered 3.9 percent of the vote.

Among other parties, the Communists received 2,925 votes, Libertarians 6,017 votes, and the Marxist-Leninists 10,160. Independents won 63,340 votes.

Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.