Advance polls bring in big numbers

In national news, many Canadians decided to cast ballots in advance over the holiday weekend. Elections Canada estimated a 34% increase from the 2008 elections, with over two million votes this weekend. More than 676,000 canadians voted on Friday and over 823,000 voted on Monday.

According to the agency’s preliminary estimates, this represents the busiest days of advanced voting ever.

For both Quebecers and Ontarians, advanced poll voting jumped significantly from the last elections. The 2008 elections saw the lowest voter turnout in Canadian history with 58.8 per cent of registered voters actually casting their ballots.