Unprecedented turn-out in Kootenay advanced federal voting
By Kyra Hoggan
Friday and Monday represented the two busiest advanced voting days in Canadian history, according to Elections Canada – and the Kootenays did their part.
The Kootenay-Columbia riding saw 14,899 voters take advantage of early voting, compared to just 7,237 in 2011. Our own riding of South Okanagan-West Kootenay is a new one, so a direct comparison isn’t possible, but in 2011, British Columbia Southern Interiorhad 4,142 early ballots cast, while this year’s South Okanagan-West Kootenay recorded 14,412.
The staggering increase in voter turn-out was a nation-wide phenomenon, based on estimates from Elections Canada.
According to the preliminary figures, some 3.6 million electors voted at the advance polls in this general election. This is a 71-per-cent increase from the 2,100,855 electors who voted in advance in the 2011 general election. This increase was due in part to an additional advance voting day on Sunday, offered for the first time.
These preliminary figures are based on numbers reported by returning officers and are not final until all the votes are counted on electionday and the results have been validated by the returning officers. The final results will be published in the official voting results following the election.
When it was introduced in 1920, voting at advance polls was limited to certain groups of voters whose work required them to be away from their electoral districts on election day. Today, it is one of several voting methods that may be used by any elector who wishes to vote before election day.
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