Ottawa: Canada’s federal election advance polls opened on Friday, giving voters several days to cast their ballots ahead of the official election day on April 28.
Canadians stood in long lineups in cities across the country. According to social media accounts, there was an hour-long wait to vote at many advance polling stations.
“There’s high interest across the country and it’s busy at a number of the polls,” said Elections Canada spokesperson Dugald Maudsley, as reported by CBC News.
A high turnout on the first day of advance polling doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a high overall turnout, but many signs are pointing in that direction, said Maudsley.
According to local media, Elections Canada said more than 130,000 Canadians have already voted by special ballot, more than double the number cast at the same point in the 2021 election. The agency issues special ballots to Canadians who don’t want to wait until election day or for advance polls.
Nearly 5 million people voted at advance polls in the 2019 election, and 5.8 million did so in the 2021 campaign. Voter turnout was 67 percent in 2019 and 62.2 percent in 2021.
