Surge in Canadians voting in advance for 2015 election
Elections Canada says over 1.6 million went to polls in first two days of advance voting - up 34 per cent from the 2011 figures.

thestar.com
Oct. 11, 2015
By Ben Spurr

More Canadians than ever are eager to cast a ballot in this year’s federal election.

Voting day itself isn’t until Oct. 19, but according to Elections Canada more than 1.6 million people went to the polls in the first two days of advance voting on Friday and Saturday. That’s up 34 per cent from those who turned up in the first two days of advance voting in the 2011 general election.

Elections Canada spokeswoman Nathalie de Montigny admitted that the increased volume of voters has taken the agency by surprise.

“While Elections Canada had prepared for a higher than usual turnout on the first day of advance polls, the level of activity on Friday exceeded our expectations,” she told the Star in an email. “We have been making adjustments in an effort to shorten the wait times.”

In 2011, 2.1 million people - or 14 per cent of the electorate - voted in advance polls. That number looks set to be exceeded this year, especially as this time there are four days of advance voting, compared to three in 2011. Advance polls were open Sunday and will be open one last time on Monday, from noon to 8 p.m.

With more people than ever deciding to vote early, there were complaints about long wait times at some polling stations.

Bob Eaton said he and his wife waited over an hour to vote in their eastern Ontario riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. When they showed up at the polling station Friday afternoon there were 20 people in line but Elections Canada had set up only one table to process them all.

“It seemed to me to be totally disorganized,” said Eaton, who said he saw several people leave the polling station rather than wait in line. “I don’t think I’ve ever taken more than two minutes in my entire life to vote anywhere.”

Michael Wheeler also said there was only one station set up when he went to vote in the Toronto riding of Parkdale–High Park around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. There were about 20 people ahead of him in line, and he had to wait more than 45 minutes before he could cast his ballot.

According to Wheeler, when the people waiting in line complained to an Elections Canada supervisor at the station, the official said they had requested an additional deputy returning officer to help with the high volume, but none was available.

“Turnout is up, and...they’re not given the resources to handle that turnout,” Wheeler said.

De Montigny, the Elections Canada spokeswoman, noted that voting at advance polls always takes longer than does voting on election day because advance voters must sign a form confirming they have cast their ballots early.

In general, Canadians are showing increased enthusiasm for advance voting, but Nelson Wiseman, director of the Canadian Studies program at the University of Toronto, says that doesn’t indicate there will be a higher turnout overall this election.

In the Alberta provincial election in May, advance turnout was 31 per cent higher than in the province’s 2012 vote, but the overall turnout was about the same.

According to Wiseman, more people are voting early simply because it’s convenient. The wider trend since the late 1980s, however, is that a smaller portion of the population is interested in exercising its democratic right. Wiseman said there’s no reason to expect a major reversal this time.

“There’s just been a long-term secular decline in voter turnout, not just in Canada but elsewhere in the West,” he said.

He predicted there could be slight increase in turnout due to other factors, however, including the fact that it’s been four years since the last federal vote.

“That bodes well for higher turnout, but I don’t think it will be more than a little bit.”