REGINA - Over 55,000 people participated in the advanced polling for the federal ridings in Regina and surrounding areas.
Data from Elections Canada shows the three federal ridings in Regina all had a voter turnout of over 16,000 people.
Regina-Lewvan and Regina-Wascana saw nearly 20,000 people show up, while Regina-Qu’appelle had just under 17,000 people vote.
Marie-France Kenny, with Elections Canada, said they can’t compare voter turnout from polling stations from the previous election since electoral boundaries changed.
Elections Canada also couldn’t provide the age demographic of votes for the polls.
While the non-partisan agency had no comparison for local numbers, they did have data showcasing comparisons for each province.
Saskatchewan saw over 200,000 people turn out for advanced polling, jumping from around 185,000 in 2021.
This is an increase of nearly 25 per cent, according to Kenny.
She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why voter turnout increased for advanced polling, but Kenny believes the long weekend with Good Friday and Easter Sunday played a role in this.
The weather in Sask. was also mild last week, which Kenny feels was another factor.
Elections Canada heavily advertised voting on TV's, social media and other platforms.
Kenny credited the marketing team for their work but said they’re always looking for ways to improve their outreach to more isolated communities.
As voting for the federal election begins Monday, concerns were raised after an Elections Canada worker in the Greater Toronto Area had allegedly urged people to vote for the Conservative Party of Canada.
Kenny says their website makes it clear that workers must remain non-partisan until the election is over.
If a person sees something, Kenny said, they’re encouraged to speak to a poll centre supervisor or the commissioner of the federal election.
Voting for the federal election begins on Monday, with polling stations opening in Sask. from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
More information can be found on Elections Canada’s website.
