Final advance polling figures: 19,27 % of the electors registered exercised their right to vote

QUÉBEC, April 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Mr. Jacques Drouin, Chief Electoral Officer of Québec, wishes to announce that 1 153 058 electors exercised their right to vote in the advance poll by using the various methods offered to them between March 28 and April 3. This total corresponds to 19,27 % of the total number of electors registered prior to the special revision, which also ended Thursday. This total number includes the data concerning the "traditional" advance polling, namely on March 30 and 31. It also includes the vote at the domicile of the elector, in a residential facility or in an educational establishment. Finally, the total includes the vote at the office of the returning officer, for the electors who voted in the electoral division where they were or for those who voted at distance in the riding of their domicile, using the vote outside their electoral division.

In comparison, 16,61 %.of the electors exercised their right to vote in the advance polling, at the general election of September 2012.  

It may be interesting to characterize the participation of electors according to the voting method that they chose:

• 942,818 electors (15, 76%) voted at a "traditional" advance polling station, open on Sunday, March 30 or March 31.
  
• 87,852 electors (1,47%) exercised their right to vote in polling stations set up in retirement homes or in homes for people having mobility problems, or at their domicile:
  
  • 66,261 people (1,11%) voted on March 30 and 31 at the advance polling station set up on site in recognized residential facilities.
    
  • 11 889 electors (0,20%) unable to move about voted upon request in various residential facilities (hospitals, rehabilitation centres, residential and long-term care centres and retirement homes having fewer than 50 residents), on March, 28 and 29 and April 1, 2 and 3.
    
  • 9,702 electors (0,16%) unable to move about for health reasons voted at their domicile during the same period.
    
• 67 720 (1,13 %) people exercised their right to vote at the office of the returning officer on March 28 and 29 and April 1, 2 and 3 :
  
  • 59 304 electors (0,99%) took advantage of the vote at the office of the returning officier of their electoral division.
    
  • 8 414 electors (0,14%) voted at the returning officer's office where they were, to exercise their right to vote at distance in the electoral division of their domicile, using the mechanism of the vote outside the electoral division.
    
• Finally, 54 670 young electors (0,91%) exercised their right to vote in their educational establishment on March 28 and April 1, 2 and 3. If we consider that little more than 400,000 electors had the opportunity to use this new method of voting, it is about 13% of the students who took advantage of it.

"It is worth noting that for the present general election, almost one of every five electors already exercised his right to vote. They led the way to all the others who are now invited to vote on April 7", emphasized the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. Drouin.

The counting of the votes of the advance polling will take place on election night, namely April 7, in each of the 125 electoral divisions of Québec. The vote outside the electoral division will be counted at the main office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Québec City.

A table indicating the turnout rates for each electoral division of Québec is available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer at the following address: www.monvote.qc.ca,  by clicking on the "Participation rates" link, on the right side of the home page.

SOURCE: Directeur général des élections

Stéphanie Isabel, Information officer, [phone] or 1 888 870-3320, [email protected]