TORONTO -- Elections Canada has seen a record number of voters already.
The federal agency says more than 4.7 million Canadians are estimated to have voted in advance polls over the weekend, which represents a 29 per cent increase from the 2015 election and the most advanced votes ever recorded.
Advance polls opened on Friday and continued through the Thanksgiving long weekend. Elections Canada data suggests an estimated 1.24 million ballots were cast on the Friday, while 1.6 million votes were cast on the holiday Monday. Saturday and Sunday saw 977,000 and 915,000 votes cast, respectively.
“More and more, Canadians are taking advantage of early voting opportunities to cast their ballots,” Chief Electoral Officer Stephane Perrault said in a news release. “I want to thank returning officers for their careful planning and the thousands of election workers who made that possible.”
Perrault noted that the snowstorm in Manitoba has affected voters in the area who might have taken advantage of the advance polls. Elections Canada is preparing to add additional resources in the province to ensure everyone has the chance to vote on Oct. 21.
During the 2015 election, 3.65 million Canadians voted during the advanced voting period.
