Advanced voting down in Markham, despite added day

YorkRegion.com

Oct. 23, 2014
Simone Joseph

Markham is providing an extra in-person voting day this year compared to the 2010 election.

This year, there are seven advance voting days compared to six days before the last municipal election.

“It is very difficult to speculate whether or not more early voting opportunities will contribute to higher voter turnout,” said Kimberly Kitteringham, Markham’s city clerk and returning officer, in an e-mail Tuesday.

The determinants of voting behaviour are complex, she said.

“My office has made a concerted effort to make voters aware of all of the opportunities they have to cast a ballot — whether they ultimately vote is obviously their own personal decision,” she said. “We have stepped up our promotional, media and outreach efforts for 2014, since everyone’s vote counts and it’s important that electors exercise their civic duty.”

There were approximately 12,300 early votes cast from Oct. 17 to 21 at 5:30 p.m. The breakdown is approx. 6,200 online voters and 6,100 in-person voters.

In 2010, the total number of advance votes cast was: 16,511 (10,597 online and 5,914 in person).

Markham’s Internet and in-person voting ends at midnight tonight. In 2010, the last day of Internet voting ended at 8 p.m. but Markham decided to extend the Internet voting hours for this election.

Between four and eight advance voting stations are open in Markham throughout the early voting period, which runs until Thursday.

Thornhill Community Centre has been the busiest early voting location so far, with the highest number of early voters on the weekend of Oct. 18 and 19, Kitteringham said.

The centre is at 7755 Bayview Ave. near John Street.

In-person early voting runs until Thursday (Oct. 23) at 8 p.m. at the following locations: Markham Civic Centre (101 Town Centre Blvd.),

Thornhill Community Centre (7755 Bayview Ave.), Armadale Community Centre (2401 Denison St.), Cornell Community Centre (3201 Bur Oak Ave.)

For coverage of the election, go to yorkregion.com

Or, in the lead-up to the election and on election night, follow our reporters on twitter:

• @JournoBrea — Brea Bartholet covers Markham

• @SimoneJoseph9 — Simone Joseph covers Thornhill

• @kimzarzour — Kim Zarzour covers Richmond Hill

• @Vghncitizennews - Tim Kelly covers Vaughan

• @VaughansAdam  — Adam Martin-Robbins covers Vaughan

For more on Markham’s election, refer to MarkhamVotes.ca or follow @MarkhamVotes on twitter.