National numbers up 29%

Update: Record turnout for advance polls

Oct 15, 2019 | 2:32 PM

Update 2:20 p.m.

Elections Canada says an estimated 4.7 million Canadians voted in advance polling over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

That’s the highest ever turnout for an advance polls in a Canadian election and up 29 per cent from the 2015 federal vote.

Access to advance polls was increased this year, with four consecutive days of polling, and longer opening hours.

In the North Okanagan Shuswap riding, 26,508 ballots were cast at the 25 advance polling stations.

The local advance numbers from 2015 were not readily available.

National voting totals (Advance polls)

Oct. 11: 1,240,669

Oct. 12: 977,361

Oct. 13: 915,000

Oct. 14: 1,600,000

“More and more, Canadians are taking advantage of early voting opportunities to cast their ballots,” said Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault. “Having extended voting hours at advance polls gave Canadians more flexibility to use this option. I want to thank returning officers for their careful planning and the thousands of election workers who made that possible.”

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Original story

The numbers on the local advance poll turnout should be known later today.

North Okanagan-Shuswap returning officer Sharon Morrison says staff are waiting for information from all the polling stations around the riding for the four days of advance polls.

“Until I get all our lists of electors, I have no way of knowing what we have here,” Morrison told Vernon Matters.

Morrison says there was long lineups at the Schubert Centre in Vernon on Friday, but it was only for one day, which she says is normal with a first day rush of voters.

“That always happens. People always come at the beginning of first day and that’s when it was really busy. But other than that, I think it worked out pretty well. We didn’t get any complaints and people seemed to have had a chance to vote,” Morrison added.

The national advance polls numbers should also be updated later today.

The numbers were tracking at over two million through the first two days, and up 25 per cent from the 2015 election.

People can cast a ballot for the federal election until 6 p.m. tonight at the local Elections Canada office in Vernon.

The office is at 4611 23 Street which is off 48 Avenue.

Returning officer Sharon Morrison says if you don’t vote today, then you must be where they live on voting day, as you can’t vote out of your polling district on election day.

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