I voted early and got stuck in huge lines at an advance polling station
I thought early voting for the federal elections would help me avoid crowds; instead, I found myself in line for hours.
Across Canada, people are casting their votes ahead of Election Day on April 28, as advance polls opened on Friday, April 18, at 9 a.m. So with my provincial ID and voter information card, I headed to my assigned advance voting location.
Previously, it had only taken me mere minutes to vote during the municipal election and the Ontario provincial election, so I was hoping to be in and out just as quickly.
When I arrived at our local community centre at around 1:30 p.m., I knew it would probably be a bit busy, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the line that stretched along a long corridor to the reception area. As I stood in line, others who arrived after me looked equally surprised at the massive lines, but eventually decided to stay.
Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive
During the first thirty minutes, the line was slow but moving. About one hour in, it seemed that one voter’s patience had run out, and he started loudly complaining about the long lines being a “waste of time.” He was approached by a worker who politely explained that it was taking some time as ballots were being processed manually.
About an hour and a half in, I was finally just outside the polls. This was where the long line eventually divided into several shorter lines as people stood in front of the poll number printed on their voter information cards. I stood in line for another 30 minutes until it was finally my turn to vote.
Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive
A worker took my voter information card and checked my name against a long list. He then handed me my ballot, and the process took around three minutes.
Overall, it took me two hours to vote.
I reached out to Elections Canada to inquire about the wait times, and a representative informed me over the phone that they’ve been receiving reports about long lines, likely due to the long weekend.
“Yes, there’s some lineup, and we do not control when electors are going to vote, so that’s one of the reasons,” she explained, adding that voters likely saw long waits during peak times around mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
She also stated that more Canadians are voting early: in 2019, 27 per cent of voters chose to vote at advanced polls, while in 2021, 34 per cent cast their votes ahead of Election Day.
When asked how they plan to address the long lineups, she stated, “What I’m hearing is that there will be adjustments; they’ll review the situation today. If they need to split some tables, they will, and they’ll add election workers.”
Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive
She also advised that voters bring their voter information cards to avoid delays.
“That will help them maybe get processed a little bit faster because the voter information card has your poll number on it. It helps the process,” she said.
Despite the long wait times, I thought the workers were professional and patient. They were also quick to assist electors with disabilities.
If you’re hoping to vote early, don’t make the same mistake I did — try to avoid peak hours if you can.
Missed the first day of advance voting? You can still vote early on the following days:
- Saturday, April 19
- Sunday, April 20
- Monday, April 21
Polling stations will be open on those days from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
What was your experience like on the first day of advance voting? Email us at trending@dailyhive.com.