Advance polls: long waits and a protest clown
The first day of advance polling did not go smoothly for some Montreal voters.
Reports of long lines with waiting times as long as two hours trickled in as the day went on.
One advance polling station in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce was especially problematic, with voters saying only a single voting booth was open, and there weren’t enough seats for those waiting — many of whom were seniors.
“There were over 100 people waiting,” said Moira Carley, an NDG resident, who showed up to cast an advance ballot at the station at 2545 Cavendish Boulevard. “The hallway where people were waiting was dark, and there were not enough chairs.”
When she learned the waiting time — one and a half hours at the time she went — Carley left without voting, as she had to leave on a business trip.
Voters said that officials gave out numbered tickets so those waiting could leave and come back when their turn came.
“I’ve been waiting an hour and a half now,” said Joan Decarie, at the same polling station. She said she votes during advanced polling every election. “It’s supposed to save time … It takes me 10, 15, 20 minutes at the most.”
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