Elections Canada is expanding advanced polls for the 2019 Federal Election in a response to the popularity of voting early in previous elections. (Ishmael N. Daro)

By Alex Rawnsley

POLLS OPEN

Advance polling expanded as early voting grows in popularity

Oct 10, 2019 | 7:20 AM

NANAIMO — More Canadians are casting their ballots ahead of time and Elections Canada wants to increase their opportunities in the upcoming federal election.

Advance polls open between 9 a.m to 9 p.m. between Friday Oct. 11 and Monday Oct. 14 across the country. Before, you could vote between 12 and 8 p.m.

Voting locations can be found on your voter information cards which were mailed out in recent weeks.

Andrea Marantz from Elections Canada said polling places have changed in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding since the spring by-election and other votes over the past 12 months.

“It’s a very unusual circumstance to have all these elections clustered together. The voter information card has the information about where they should vote this time, because it isn’t necessarily the same place they voted in May for the by-election,” Marantz said.

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Expanding early voting opportunities is in direct response to a surge of advanced votes cast in previous elections.

In the 2015 federal election, 23.2 per cent of ballots were cast in Nanaimo-Ladysmith ahead of general voting day. It represented an increase of nearly 10 per cent compared to figures from both Nanaimo ridings in 2011.

Marantz said the advanced voting trend was reflected nationally with turnout doubling in the 2015 election.

Elections Canada noticed an uptick in youth voting during previous election cycles.

Voting stations are now in more than 100 colleges and universities across Canada, though not at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley