First the lineup crawled. Then it inched. Then for long periods of time, it would stop moving altogether.
By 10 a.m. Friday, the lineup at the
advance polling station
at Westgate Mall in Ottawa Centre was out the door, down the sidewalk and numbering 100-plus voters initially keen to cast ballots prior to election day on April 28. When harried election workers started offering folding chairs, we figured we were in for a long wait.
One of my neighbours says she and a friend arrived at 9:30 — polls opened at 9 a.m. — and only got to the front of the line by 11 a.m. Some took the chairs and busily tapped away on phones or started new friendships, annoyed but mostly accepting. Many others were loudly P-O’d and demanding to speak to whoever was in charge. Those election workers facing the ire were unfailingly patient, kind and as accommodating as they could be without being able to say anything specific about the long wait. Other would-be voters bailed altogether, but not before using their phones to snap pictures, vowing to call Elections Canada, their would-be members of Parliament and the news media about the situation.
I hung in — mindful of guests soon to be arriving, ham to be cooked and laundry on the clothesline with rain clouds threatening — thinking that surely things would start moving briskly as new deputy polling officers found their election chops. I reminded myself that some people, in some countries, walk miles under the blistering sun, then stand in line for hours more just for the privilege of casting a ballot — and it is a privilege.
But there was this damned ham waiting. And my daughter’s new godchild imminently arriving. Then I reminded myself that I, unlike those in some other countries or even in this lineup, do have a second opportunity to vote on election day if I so choose. But after almost an hour in I could see the front of the line, and the poor deputy polling officers — two at one station, one at the other — working up a sweat trying to process voters, answer questions, check ID and smooth ruffled feathers.
“There’s obviously a commitment among Ottawa voters to take advantage of the early voting options,” says
Elections Canada
spokesperson Diane Benson, with Ottawa Centre one of the top 10 electoral districts in Canada where electors applied to vote
by special ballot
, either by voting at the returning office or voting by mail.
The real worry is that an unhappy or inconvenient voting experience like this might dissuade people from voting at all. More than a few left this lineup and who knows whether they can or will bother to vote on election day. Coming on the heels of a provincial election, voter fatigue is an acknowledged factor this time around with every automated call, every flyer and door knocker in the days leading up to this election stressing the importance of getting out to vote.
Many agencies and organizations have specifically urged Canadians to vote early. Overall our voter turnout is abysmal, but advance polls are becoming increasingly popular, with about 34 per cent of voters casting their ballot at an advance poll in 2021, compared with 27 per cent in the 2019 election, according to the Elections Canada website.
It’s worth noting we voters can also help things move more quickly either at an advance poll or on election day. Start with knowing which polling station you should be at. Check on the Elections Canada website using your postal code. Bring your voter card if you have it and a piece of government-issued ID. It does not have to be photo ID.
“You need to prove who you are and where you live, such as a driver’s licence. If you don’t have that, you will need two pieces of ID both of which have your name and at least one that has your address. If you take those steps before you go to the polls we’re going to be able to serve you a lot faster,” Benson says.
**
When my turn came an hour and a bit later, the election worker was friendly, focused, apologetic and nimble. He said he has previously worked a provincial election but that this was his first federal experience and acknowledged it would have been nice to have someone helping him. Mindful of those waiting behind me, I voted, hopped on my bike and still got home in time to get the laundry in, chuck the godchild under the chin and cook the ham. And I got to vote. Was that really so onerous?
If you haven’t voted yet, come hell or high water, lineups, delays or dilemmas just do it. It really is important. And it is a privilege.
Becky Rynor is an Ottawa writer.
