KENORA — Voter turnout in Kenora-Rainy River has been solid ahead of election day, the provincial riding’s returning officer said Monday.
“We had quite a few in Dryden this (past) week, and we still have a poll in Kenora,” Jaye Wesley told Newswatch.
“Personally I thought it was a good turnout.”
Almost 3,600 people have voted so far in the riding that includes Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances, Wesley said.
That’s about 11 per cent of all registered electors in the riding, she said.
The number includes people who voted at the Feb. 20-22 advance polls at several locations across the riding, as well as people who voted at the election office in Kenora on any other day since the writs were dropped, she explained.
Eligible voters can still cast ballots before election day at the Kenora-Rainy River election office.
The office is open for special ballot voting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
On election day, local polling stations will open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Voting locations can be found at elections.on.ca and on the voter information cards Elections Ontario sent out earlier this month, Wesley said.
As in 2022, Kenora-Rainy River’s election office is at the Ukrainian Hall in Kenora. Kiiwetinoong’s is at the Sunset Inn and Suites on First Avenue in Sioux Lookout.
Thunder Bay-Atikokan’s returning office is in Agnew H. Johnston School on Churchill Drive in Thunder Bay. The Elections Ontario office for Thunder Bay-Superior North is in the County Fair Mall.
A news release Monday from the provincial election agency said preliminary figures show that 678,789 voters cast their ballot over three days of advance voting in the Ontario general election, representing 6.14 per cent of eligible voters in Ontario.
That’s a marked change from 2022, when 1,066,545 (9.92 per cent) voted over 10 days. It’s also less than the 698,609 ballots over five days of advance voting in 2018.
Voter information cards are intended to make the process easier on election day, but Elections Ontario says they are not a requirement to vote. Every Canadian citizen who is 18 years of age or older on Feb. 27 and who is an Ontario resident is eligible to vote.
