The Current

These 4 voters have made up their mind. Can they convince each other to switch their ballots?

The Current headed to Milton, Ont., one of the most closely-watched ridings in the federal election, to speak to four decided voters about who they're casting their ballots for.

Milton, Ont., is one of the most closely-watched races in the federal election

From left: Bilal Arif, Sean James, Doreen Clarke, Mayurkumar Dave. (Karin Marley/CBC)

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The Ontario riding of Milton is one of the most closely-watched battlegrounds in this federal campaign.

It's not just because high-profile Conservative incumbent Lisa Raitt is facing a challenge from Liberal candidate and Olympic gold medallist Adam van Koeverden.

The traditionally Conservative stronghold is now one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Canada, and its shifting demographics are leaving the other parties hoping that they may have a chance to nab that seat.

Pollsters say ridings like this one could determine the federal election, which is why The Current's Karin Marley headed to Milton to meet four decided voters of different political persuasions for a chat over coffee.

The four sat down in the home of Green Party supporter Sean James to discuss the election — and to see if they could convince the other three to switch their ballots.

From left: NDP candidate Farina Hassan, Green candidate Eleanor Hayward, Liberal candidate Adam van Koeverden and Conservative candidate Lisa Raitt. (Farina Hassan/Twitter, Eleanor Hayward/Facebook, Cole Burston/CP, Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

Here are the four Milton voters who joined the conversation:

Bilal Arif, a University of Toronto mathematics student, is planning to vote for NDP candidate Farina Hassan. He likes their climate change platform, is impressed with party leader Jagmeet Singh and feels the New Democrats "care about people in general."

Sean James is an eco-landscaper and says the Green Party's Eleanor Hayward has his vote. He likes their platform in general, beyond just their environmental policies, and said that he's "tired of voting strategically." 

Doreen Clarke is a retired financial planner and says she will be casting her ballot for van Koeverden. While she believes the Liberals need to "rein it in a little" from a fiscal perspective, she's been impressed by a lot of what they have done in government over the last four years, and particularly agrees with their immigration policies.

Mayurkumar Dave is a small business owner. He's planning to vote for Raitt, because he says he trusts her long track record in office, and he likes the Conservatives' policies on business and immigration.


Written by Allie Jaynes. Segment produced by Karin Marley.