Polling places in 91原创 and across Canada reported heavy attendance on Friday as the first day of advance voting took place for the 2025 federal election.
Data on how many voters in 91原创 ridings won't be available until later in the week, but Elections Canada announced on social media that Canadian voters broke a record for Friday, the first day of the polls.
Almost two million people voted on Friday, which was about 30 per cent higher than the first day of advance polls in the last federal election, said James Hale, a media liaison for Elections Canada.
Preliminary estimates show that near 2M electors voted last Friday on the first day of advance polls. A record number! To all the electors who had to wait in line, thank you for your patience!
鈥� Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E)
We鈥檙e going to continue to adjust over the next few days to handle the high traffic!
On social media, 91原创 residents reported a wide range of wait times depending on when and where they went to vote, from a few minutes to about an hour, with a number of people reporting it took about 45 minutes with significant lines. There are three ridings that cover parts of 91原创 鈥� 91原创 Township-Fraser Heights, Cloverdale-91原创 City, and Abbotsford-South 91原创.
Anecdotally, polling places were also busy on Saturday and Sunday, but data was not available, Hale said.
Although a significant number of people have already voted, Hale warned to not read too much into early voting numbers.
"There's so many factors that play into that," he said.
Early voting has become a more popular option with ever election it's been available, Hale noted.
"Having a holiday weekend makes a huge, huge difference," he added.
According to Elections Canada's website, about 34 per cent of all votes cast in the 2021 election were cast in advance polls of some kind, up from 27 per cent in the 2019 election.
Voters can also cast ballots at their local Elections Canada offices in their electoral district or vote by mail if they register before April 22.
General election day is Monday, April 28, and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in British Columbia. Voter information cards have been mailed to registered voters with the location of their election day polling place, or they can go to for more information.
