PENTICTON, B.C. — There was a steady stream of traffic heading to the Penticton Trade and Convention on general voting day, and depending on the time of day, people waited an average of 40 minutes.
It would appear that the long waits were a reflection of a high voter turnout, but this was not the case.
About 31% of eligible voters cast ballots this civic election, which is 2% less than in 2011.
“It’s a little frustrating and disappointing, when at the end of the day, the numbers are about the same as last time and we thought more people were engaged,” says Mayor-elect Andrew Jakubeit.
The City’s communication officer, Simone Blais, says there were two factors contributing to the long wait times.
She also says that in the previous election, people were able to line-up inside of the voting room, but this year the line was set up outside and may have caused people to believe the line was longer.
In 2008, the city switched from having two polling stations to just one. Blais says this was a cost-saving measure.
But Jakubeit is interested in revisiting this idea.
“In hindsight, perhaps having a second polling station is money well spent.”
Attendance for the advanced polls hit a record-breaking number of 1,873 – nearly double from 2011.
The City isn’t sure why this didn’t translate in to higher numbers on general voting day.
A report assessing the 2014 municipal election will be presented to council on December 15.
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