Of the roughly 37,458 registered voters in Powell River-Sunshine Coast, 6,415 cast their ballots during six days of advance voting. That works out to about 17 per cent of eligible voters – a slight increase from 2013 when 15 per cent of the 36,976 registered voters took part over four days of advance voting.
However, some early voters on the Sunshine Coast expressed frustration about turning up to find their polling station was closed.
Andrew Watson of Elections BC told Coast Reporter that his office heard some complaints from the riding, and said part of the issue was a change in how advance polling was handled when the extra two days were added.
Watson said in past elections all advance voting places were open every day during the entire advance voting period.
“In certain communities it doesn’t make sense to have an advance voting place open all six days. It’s also a challenge for us because the two days were added on the weekend and the facilities weren’t always available,” he said.
Watson said his office also heard from some people who found the way the information about advance voting times and locations was printed on the cards sent to registered voters was unclear. He noted, however, that the high turnout at advance polls indicates that the new system was a success overall.
