Advance polls have turned out significantly more voters in this year’s federal election than the last.
In the Okanagan-Shuswap riding 8,265 ballots were cast over the weekend in advance of Monday’s federal election. That is up from 6,414 votes in the 2008 federal election.
“This is estimated turnouts only,” reminds Susan Friend, with Elections Canada.
“They are not official voting results.”
The last election also represented the lowest voter turnout in history – 58.8 per cent Canada-wide, compared to its height in 1963 at 79.2 per cent.
This year’s advance voting numbers are up significantly everywhere compared to the 2008 election.
This year, 243,247 ballots were cast provincewide, while the 2008 election only saw 177,915 at the early-bird stations.
Canada-wide, the 41st general election advance voting saw just over two million while there were only 1.5 million in the 40th general election advance polls.
While Elections Canada is always hopeful for higher voter turnouts, the advance numbers do not necessarily mean more people will be exercising their right to vote on Monday.
“Advance polls are not necessarily indicative of a higher turnout,” said Friend.
