Voting in advance polls jumps during final days
With 17,000 ballots cast, tally is on track to equal or exceed 2013 total of 23,000
Voting surged at Edmonton’s advance polls this week and is now standing above 17,000 ballots cast, says Edmonton Elections.
“Monday it started to pick up. Yesterday was our highest so far,” said Iain MacLean, director of elections, on Friday.
There will be no voting over the weekend. Polls are open Monday — election day — from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
At 8 p.m., an elections official will stand at the back of the line to indicate it’s closed. No one else will be allowed to join, said MacLean. “Anyone who’s in line has the ability to vote.”
The ballots are electronically counted and sent to election headquarters. They’ll be posted as they come in, starting at 8:30 p.m. Monday.
MacLean said the city is on track to see the same or higher turnout for the advance polls this election. The city had 23,000 people cast a vote in an advance poll in 2013. The final number of advance-poll voters will be released late Friday, including ballots cast at post-secondary advance voting stations and seniors homes, MacLean said.
This election, the Edmonton Elections team travelled to 70 different seniors homes to offer residents the chance to vote early. That’s much higher than in 2013 and seems to be well received, he said.
Voters on Monday need to bring identification bearing their name and current address. That could be a driver’s licence or a utility bill.