Latest news with #Enguehard
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
P.E.I. in line with national trend after 'huge' first day of advance voting in federal election
Prince Edward Islanders appear to have turned out in droves to vote on the first day of advance polling for the federal election, with many waiting in long lines for an hour or more. Those lines were running a bit more smoothly by the time Kathryn Lewis cast her ballot Saturday at Simmons Sports Centre in Charlottetown. "I think it's going to be a really busy election, so I wanted to vote now instead of waiting in line on election day," Lewis said. "It was excellent. They have a lot of people in there directing you where to go, it's very quick…. I was in and out in five minutes." That wasn't the case on Good Friday, the first of four days of advance polls over the Easter weekend. Some Islanders posted on social media that they were waiting in line for up to two hours. Turns out there was a good reason for that — a "huge" increase in the number of people who turned out across the country, said said Françoise Enguehard, the media relations adviser in the Atlantic region for Elections Canada Françoise Enguehard, the media relations adviser in the Atlantic region for Elections Canada, says voting in advance polls on Friday was up 36 per cent from the last election. (Zoom) "The preliminary estimates indicate that close to two million people voted [Friday], and that is up 36 per cent from the last election for the same period of time," Enguehard said. "It's really great to see that electors are really engaged." She added that polling stations on P.E.I. and elsewhere in the country were staffed appropriately for the advance voting days, despite some rumours to the contrary. Enguehard said Elections Canada hired about the same number of staff as it did for previous votes, around 250,000 people in Canada, and that most advance polls were fully staffed Friday. Other voting options The agency said workers can address long wait times by bringing extra staff and "splitting" polls, which allows electors to be served by more tables. They can also redirect voters to other options, like voting at an Elections Canada office until Tuesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. After that, you'll have to wait for election day, April 28.
CBC
19-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
P.E.I. in line with national trend after 'huge' first day of advance voting in federal election
Social Sharing Prince Edward Islanders appear to have turned out in droves to vote on the first day of advance polling for the federal election, with many waiting in long lines for an hour or more. Those lines were running a bit more smoothly by the time Kathryn Lewis cast her ballot Saturday at Simmons Sports Centre in Charlottetown. "I think it's going to be a really busy election, so I wanted to vote now instead of waiting in line on election day," Lewis said. "It was excellent. They have a lot of people in there directing you where to go, it's very quick…. I was in and out in five minutes." That wasn't the case on Good Friday, the first of four days of advance polls over the Easter weekend. Some Islanders posted on social media that they were waiting in line for up to two hours. Turns out there was a good reason for that — a "huge" increase in the number of people who turned out across the country, said said Françoise Enguehard, the media relations adviser in the Atlantic region for Elections Canada "The preliminary estimates indicate that close to two million people voted [Friday], and that is up 36 per cent from the last election for the same period of time," Enguehard said. "It's really great to see that electors are really engaged." She added that polling stations on P.E.I. and elsewhere in the country were staffed appropriately for the advance voting days, despite some rumours to the contrary. Enguehard said Elections Canada hired about the same number of staff as it did for previous votes, around 250,000 people in Canada, and that most advance polls were fully staffed Friday. Other voting options The agency said workers can address long wait times by bringing extra staff and "splitting" polls, which allows electors to be served by more tables. They can also redirect voters to other options, like voting at an Elections Canada office until Tuesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. After that, you'll have to wait for election day, April 28.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elections Canada announces record turnout on first day of advance voting
Election Canada has announced preliminary estimates that show nearly two million electors voted Friday, the first day of advance polls. Representatives of the non-partisan agency said that's a record turnout. The announcement, which was posted on social media Saturday afternoon, came after Canadians reported long lines across the country on Friday. Some told CBC News on Friday they waited more than two hours to cast their ballots. François Enguehard, a regional media advisor in the Atlantic region for Elections Canada, said the turnout is up 36 per cent from the first day of advance polling in the last election in 2021. "It makes us very happy because that's why 250,000 people plus all of Elections Canada staff — that's what we work towards," Enguehard said. "To see the uptake is really comforting for people who have done so much in the polling locations to make that happen." Enguehard said it's too early to say whether the record-high turnout will lead to higher voter turnout for the election overall. But it is a sign that "people are engaged in this election and eager to vote." During the 2021 federal election, almost 5.8 million voters turned out for for advance polls. A total of 17,209,811 voters cast their ballots in that election, representing a voter turnout of 62.6 per cent. Canadians report long lines "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 on Friday, waiting to vote 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. It was a similar story in Metro Vancouver, where some voters in Vancouver's West End said they were in line for more than two hours at a polling station. Meanwhile, a voter in Langley, B.C. said she had the longest wait for advance voting in her life. WATCH | Advance polls open across Canada for the federal election: "Hopefully it's a sign of things to come, and a sign of things for change," said Barb Stroll, who was at Douglas Park Elementary School in the Metro Vancouver suburb. Registered voters can cast an early ballot at their assigned polling station between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. from April 19-21. Voter information cards, which registered voters should have received in the mail by April 11, will provide the location of the assigned polling station for advance voting. Election day stations may be at a different address. Registered voters can also search for their advance polling station here or call Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868.
CBC
19-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Elections Canada announces record turnout on first day of advance voting
Social Sharing Election Canada has announced preliminary estimates that show nearly two million electors voted Friday, the first day of advance polls. Representatives of the non-partisan agency said that's a record turnout. The announcement, which was posted on social media Saturday afternoon, came after Canadians reported long lines across the country on Friday. Some told CBC News on Friday they waited more than two hours to cast their ballots. François Enguehard, a regional media advisor in the Atlantic region for Elections Canada, said the turnout is up 36 per cent from the first day of advance polling in the last election in 2021. "It makes us very happy because that's why 250,000 people plus all of Elections Canada staff — that's what we work towards," Enguehard said. "To see the uptake is really comforting for people who have done so much in the polling locations to make that happen." Enguehard said it's too early to say whether the record-high turnout will lead to higher voter turnout for the election overall. But it is a sign that "people are engaged in this election and eager to vote." During the 2021 federal election, almost 5.8 million voters turned out for for advance polls. A total of 17,209,811 voters cast their ballots in that election, representing a voter turnout of 62.6 per cent. Canadians report long lines "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 on Friday, waiting to vote 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. It was a similar story in Metro Vancouver, where some voters in Vancouver's West End said they were in line for more than two hours at a polling station. Meanwhile, a voter in Langley, B.C. said she had the longest wait for advance voting in her life. WATCH | Advance polls open across Canada for the federal election: Advance polls open across the country 1 day ago Duration 6:08 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. Read more: "Hopefully it's a sign of things to come, and a sign of things for change," said Barb Stroll, who was at Douglas Park Elementary School in the Metro Vancouver suburb. Registered voters can cast an early ballot at their assigned polling station between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. from April 19-21. Voter information cards, which registered voters should have received in the mail by April 11, will provide the location of the assigned polling station for advance voting. Election day stations may be at a different address.
CBC
07-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
More names being added to Malpeque special ballots after voters noticed only 1 name
Elections Canada says voters in P.E.I.'s federal riding of Malpeque will start seeing more names on the special ballot beginning today. Special ballot voting allows Canadians to cast their vote at any Elections Canada office before advance polls or election day. The ballot includes a blank space where voters must write the name of their chosen candidate. For this federal election, voters can cast a special ballot at an Elections Canada office anytime before 6 p.m. on April 22. When voting this way, people can ask an election worker for a list of confirmed candidates in their riding. However, some voters in the Malpeque riding have recently raised concerns after seeing only the name of Conservative candidate Jamie Fox in that list of confirmed candidates, along with a blank space to write in other names. Other candidates running in this riding include Anna Keenan (Green Party), Cassie MacKay (New Democratic Party), Heath MacDonald (Liberal Party) and Hilda Baughan (People's Party of Canada). Françoise Enguehard, media representative for Elections Canada in the Atlantic Region, said that's because Fox completed the confirmation process earlier than other candidates. She added that after candidates submit their names, they need to go through an official confirmation process before appearing on the list. "Candidates are put as they appear... so it's only because he was quicker off the mark and got confirmed quicker than the others, but I can tell you now there are five candidates already," Enguehard told CBC News. As of 2 p.m. Monday, the official Elections Canada website was listing five confirmed candidates for the Malpeque riding. That's also the deadline for nominations to close. "So if people go vote by special ballot today in Malpeque, the five names will be available to them," Enguehard said. Misconception about special ballots Voting by special ballot is different from voting on election day or at advance polls. When you vote by special ballot, your ballot won't show a list of candidates to choose from. Instead, there is a blank space on the ballot for you to write the name of the candidate you're voting for. Enguehard said there is a common misconception that a vote won't count if a name is misspelled. But it is based on intent, so minor errors could be accepted, she said. "A lot of people are worried that if the name is not perfectly spelled, it's going to be a spoilt ballot. That is not quite true," she said. "You would have to really spell it wrong from the beginning to the end and make it incomprehensible."
