Canadians reported long lines as polling stations opened for advance voting on Friday.
Advance polls will be open again 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. nationwide Saturday through Monday, with election day set for April 28.
Some voters at polling stations across the country told CBC News early Friday they were waiting upwards of two hours to cast their ballots.
“I vote all the time and I’ve never had to wait for very long, normally. This is going to be an hour apparently,” said James Knight, who was voting at Ottawa City Hall.
Knight said he believed the long wait was due to people’s enthusiasm to cast their ballots, rather than any disorganization on the part of Elections Canada.
“They’re tuned in to the election. It’s a big deal for Canada, what’s going on. So I think they may have decided to turn out early.”
With just 10 days to go until election day, advance polls open Friday across the country for those who want to vote before April 28. Registered voters can cast an early ballot at their assigned polling station between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. from April 18-21.
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The holiday weekend means many Canadians who would normally be working on Fridays and Mondays have time off to get to their polling stations.
Their reasons for getting out early vary.
“The economy, that’s probably the biggest issue for me,” said Peter Xing, waiting in a line at a Vancouver polling station. “And just the whole world politics, I think we just need a strong leader.”
Some voters told CBC News they were in line for more than two hours at a polling station in Vancouver’s West End.
In St. John’s, Carl Aylward said he was motivated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about Canada becoming the “51st state.”
“This is why I want to get out,” he said. “We’re not for sale.”
Across Toronto, voters were also reporting lines up to two hours long, with some saying they’ve never seen such long lines to vote.
While some were heartened, taking to social media to call the turnout “incredible” and “momentous,” others complained about slow ballot processing.
At the southeast Winnipeg community centre, where temperatures were still below freezing when polls opened, Barbara Maguire said the lineup was “already out the door” when she arrived around 9:15 a.m.
“This is a vital election for Canada, and I’m just thrilled to see the turnout this early in the morning,” she said.
Hey @liberal_party and @CPC_HQ, first day of advance voting in @cityoftoronto; 1hr + waits.
Good for interest in election, embarrassing to see a single cardboard box with a single volunteer scanning a paper list of voters…
Many people left without voting due to long waits. ☹️
In Prince George, B.C., Tracy Larson said she arrived to vote at Trinity United Church with her husband at 11 a.m., and they stuck out a two-and-a-half hour line because they’ll be out of town on election day.
Normally, she said, they’d be in and out of the polling station in “10 or 15 minutes.”
It was a tough wait for the couple, as her husband has mobility issues and uses a walker.
Larson said some elderly people weren’t able to wait.
“There were a lot of people who, you know, they’d come up and they just turned around and left,” she said.
Elections Canada spokesperson Dugald Maudsley told CBC News Network returning officers at some stations were bringing in extra workers to deal with bottlenecks.
“There’s high interest across the country and it’s busy at a number of the polls,” he said.
Maudsley said 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.
Last week, Elections Canada said more than 130,000 Canadians had 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.
Maudsley also said Canadians overseas have been asking for voting kits in larger numbers than ever before.
“Perhaps that means we’ll have a good turnout on election day as well,” he said.
Well, if the advance polls in my area are indicative, we’re going to have a huge turnout for this election. Line up of about 40 people outside the door and another 60 inside. It took me an hour to vote.
For voters who plan to turn up for advance polls, Maudsley says the best times to avoid long lines tend to be before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
He also suggests bringing your voter information card, if you received one in the mail, to make the process go faster.
On Tuesday, there will be voting in hospitals and other acute care facilities. Tuesday is also the deadline to vote at a local office and to apply to vote by mail.
Find information about where you can vote on the Elections Canada website or by calling Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868.
If you’ll be away on election day, April 28, you have some options to vote early. CBC’s Avneet Dhillon breaks down three options: voting during the advance polls, voting at an Elections Canada office and voting by mail.
