Voters will head to the polls Sept. 20 to elect a new MP in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.
Across the riding last week 27,838 people voted early according to Andrea Marantz, Elections Canada’s B.C. spokesperson. Marantz said this number is up substantially from 2019 where 19,320 people voted early.
“(I find early voting numbers is) not a very accurate predictor for voting day,” Marantz said, adding that there are 105,542 registered voters across the riding this year.
Seven candidates are vying for the empty seat, which was previously held by long-term MP Cathy McLeod.
The contenders include Liberal candidate Jesse McCormick, NDP candidate Bill Sundhu, Conservative Frank Caputo, Green Party candidate Iain Currie, People’s Party candidate Corally Delwo and independents Bob O’Brien and Wayne Allan.
Currie and Sundhu have run in the past two previous federal elections.
In 2019, 72,453 people cast ballots in the riding, with McLeod collecting 32,415 votes, or 44.74 per cent of the vote, followed by Liberal candidate Terry Lake, who took 19,716 or 27.21 per cent. Currie, who also ran in 2019, finished with 8,789 (12.13 per cent).
In 2015, Sundhu came a close second to McLeod, who finished with 24,595 votes out of 69,765 ballots cast (35.25 per cent). Sundhu collected 21,466 votes (30.77 per cent).
Kamloops is the most populated centre in the riding, which also includes Clearwater, Barriere, 100 Mile House, Clinton, Sun Peaks, Skeetchestn Indian Band and Tk’emlups te Secwepemc.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday.
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