Big jump in turnout at advance polls
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 | 2:46 PM ET
CBC News
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In 2004, about 1.25 million people voted early.
"A lot of Canadians took this opportunity to vote early," said Jean-Pierre Kingsley.
"I appreciate the efforts of the election workers who dealt with heavy turnout, and the patience of voters who coped with long lineups in some places to make sure their choice counts in this election."
Prince Edward Island had the biggest percentage jump, with more than 11,000 people voting early, compared to 6,839 in 2004.
The smallest voter increase was in Newfoundland and Labrador, where 106 more people voted early this year, a slight increase of 0.9 per cent over 2004.
Disappearing civics classes blamed for declining voter turnout
Despite the jump in advance poll returns, overall voter turnout has been steadily declining for years. A new report by the Canadian Council on Learning concludes the reason is connected to a lack of civics courses in high school.
Its researchers found that even people with a low interest in politics were more likely to vote if they learned in school what it means to be part of a democratic process.
The CCL says that civics education has been declining over the past several decades.
The report suggests that until that situation is corrected in schools, Elections Canada will continue to struggle to get people engaged in the electoral process.
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