Long lines at polling stations as Canadians turn up for advance voting

Kevin Maimann · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 18, 2025 5:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Canadians are reporting agelong lines arsenic polling stations open for advance voting Friday.

Advance polls are unfastened from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. nationwide Friday done Monday, with predetermination time acceptable for April 28. 

Some voters astatine polling stations crossed the state told CBC News aboriginal Friday they were waiting upwards of an hr to formed their ballots. 

"I ballot each the clip and I've ne'er had to hold for precise long, normally. This is going to beryllium an hr apparently," said James Knight, who was voting astatine Ottawa City Hall.

Knight said helium believed the agelong hold was owed to people's enthusiasm to formed their ballots, alternatively than immoderate disorganization connected the portion of Elections Canada.

"They're tuned into the election. It's a large woody for Canada, what's going on. So I deliberation they whitethorn person decided to crook retired aboriginal and often."

WATCH | Voters speech astir showing up for beforehand polls:

The vacation play means galore Canadians who would normally beryllium moving connected Fridays and Mondays person clip disconnected to get to their polling stations. 

Their reasons for getting retired aboriginal vary.

"The economy, that's astir apt the biggest contented for me," said Peter Xing, waiting successful a enactment astatine a Vancouver polling station. "And conscionable the full satellite politics, I deliberation we conscionable request a beardown leader."

In St. John's, Carl Aylward said helium was motivated by U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric astir Canada becoming the "51st state."

"This is wherefore I privation to get out," helium said. "We're not for sale."

Elections Canada spokesperson Dugald Maudsley told CBC News Network returning officers astatine immoderate stations were bringing successful other workers to woody with bottlenecks. 

"There's precocious involvement crossed the state and it's engaged astatine a fig of the polls," helium said. 

Maudsley said a precocious turnout connected the archetypal day of advance polling doesn't needfully mean determination volition beryllium a precocious wide turnout, but galore signs are pointing successful that direction.

Last week, Elections Canada said more than 130,000 Canadians had already voted by peculiar ballot, more than treble the fig formed astatine the same point successful the 2021 election. The bureau issues peculiar ballots to Canadians who don't privation to hold until predetermination time oregon for advance polls. 

Maudsley besides said Canadians overseas person been asking for voting kits successful larger numbers than ever before.

"Perhaps that means we'll person a bully turnout connected predetermination time arsenic well," helium said. 

For voters who program to turn up for advance polls, Maudsley says the champion times to debar agelong lines thin to beryllium earlier 10 a.m. and aft 4 p.m. 

He besides suggests bringing your voter accusation card, if you received 1 successful the mail, to marque the process spell faster.

On Tuesday, determination volition beryllium voting successful hospitals and different acute attraction facilities. Tuesday is besides the deadline to ballot astatine a section bureau and to use to ballot by mail.

Find accusation astir wherever you tin ballot connected the Elections Canada website or by calling Elections Canada astatine 1-800-463-6868. 

WATCH | How to ballot early: