(Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

20% of eligible voters in Lethbridge took part in advance voting

Sep 20, 2021 | 10:38 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Prior to the start of the general election day, about one-fifth of eligible voters in Lethbridge had already cast their ballots.

Elections Canada has released its estimate of turnout at advance polls for the 44th general federal election.

An estimated 18,248 people in Lethbridge took advantage of early polling stations. With 89,663 residents who are registered to vote, that gives the city an approximate advance voter turnout of 20.35 per cent.

This marks an increase of 1,667 advance votes (10%) compared to the 2019 federal election, although part of that is likely the result of the population increasing over the past two years.

Among Alberta’s 34 federal ridings, 26 are reporting higher numbers of advance ballots.

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Nation-wide, approximately 5,780,000 people voted utilizing advance voting, up 18.46 per cent from 2019.

“I want to thank the electors who took advantage of advance polls for their patience and their help in making this a safe experience for everyone. I also want to thank the tens of thousands of election workers for making this possible,” says Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault. “Canadians still have the opportunity to contribute to this great democratic exercise by voting on election day or by returning their special ballot before the September 20 deadline.”

The image below, from Elections Canada’s website, shows a breakdown of the estimated early voting turnout in Alberta’s constituencies. The column on the left has the number of advance ballots for the 2021 election while the column on the right displays early ballots cast in 2019.

Estimated advance voter turnout in Alberta. (Elections Canada)

In our latest LNN Poll, we asked our readers and listeners how they were planning to vote. With 397 responses, an equal 47% said either in-person or advance. Three per cent voted by mail while two per cent did not plan on casting a ballot at all.

Monday, September 20 is the general voting day. Polling stations are open until 7:30 pm.

Information for voters can be found on the Elections Canada website here. For ongoing coverage of the federal election, use this link for LethbridgeNewsNow.com.