It has been a busy week on the campaign trail in Toronto, and with weeks left to register, the number of candidates competing for the new mayor of Toronto position has already reached 50.

While some have praised the number of candidates as "exciting" for democracy, it is undoubtedly at least somewhat confusing for potential voters.

That said, Professor Emeritus of Politics at Toronto Metropolitan University, Mayor Symiati, told local media: "We definitely have a crowded mayoral election if all the candidates stay in the race."

With candidates having until May 12 to register, Symiati said this number could rise to 70 or 90 or even triple digits. But while there may be more voters in the race.

Explaining that the large number of candidates is unlikely to deter people who want to participate in the voting process.

Symiati also said: "There is no evidence that (the number of candidates) has any effect on voter turnout."

Adding, "The main driver of voter turnout in municipal elections is the contested and vibrant mayoral race."

He said the competitive race now sharply contrasts with last year's unexciting race where polls consistently indicated John Tory would easily win another term.

On the other hand, 36 people added their names to the ballot for the mayoral election in October, but there were few widely known candidates, apart from the Conservatives.

This time, there are at least eight candidates who have held positions at the municipal, federal, or provincial levels.

Adding, "You have a highly competitive race across the ideological and political spectrum from right to left."

Symiati also said, "So I don't think it will affect voter turnout."

But it can affect confusion at the ballot box.

It will be a long voting process once all the candidates remain, let alone the additional numbers that may register over the next two weeks."

He said increasing the number of required signatures to run or adding additional fees a week before nominations close could be ways to filter out some candidates who may not be as serious about their bids.

Overall, he said, however, having low barriers to joining the race is good for democracy.

It is worth noting that Toronto was exploring the idea of ranked voting before municipalities were banned from choosing the system.