It was another day of long lineups at several advance polling stations in B.C. with some people having to wait more than an hour to cast their ballot.
Elections Canada estimates 780,000 people voted on Saturday, meaning more than 1.6 million ballots were cast across Canada in the first two days of advance polls, a 34 per cent increase over 2011.
Elections Canada brought in more employees to help with crowds and long lines after several reports of people giving up and leaving stations without voting on Friday.
But does the higher turnout at advance polls offer any hints about what will happen on Oct. 19? Not really, says Max Cameron, a professor of political science at UBC.
“The fact that so many people are voting really suggests that there is an interest in this election; it’s a tight election and that always helps,” he said. “I hope what this means is that we’ll see an increase in voter turnout overall by the time the election is over.”
Advanced polls continue from noon until 8 p.m. PT on Thanksgiving Monday.
Find your riding here:
Find your advance polling station here, and click “When and where can I vote at advance polls?”
If you want you can register and vote at the same time, although you should give yourself time to do both.
-With files from Amy Judd
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