Advance polls open Saturday

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/04/2016 (3445 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Beginning Saturday Manitobans can start voting at 293 locations across the province.

Voters can go to any location, regardless of their home address, from Sat. April 9 to 16 and cast their vote for the April 19 election.

In Winnipeg, 13 locations have been identified including The Forks and the University of Manitoba, where extra staff will be on hand to deal with an expected high volume of voters.

Last October’s federal election saw a record number of Canadians turn out in advanced polls. In Manitoba, over 100,000 people voted in advanced polls, doubling the number of people who voted at advance polls in 2011.

This also led to headaches for Winnipeggers during the first day of advanced polling as they complained of long waits, disorganization from Elections Canada, and confusion over where to cast their ballot.

However, officials say they are ready for a possible surge of voters, explained Elections Manitoba spokeswoman Alison Mitchell. In 2007, 10 per cent of Manitobans voted in advanced polls and 18 per cent voted in advance in 2011.

“We are anticipating an even higher number of voters this year,” said Mitchell. “We are prepared and have increased the numbers of ballots.”