If the advanced voting polls are anything to go by, more people than ever in Richmond could be set to make their mark at this Saturday’s municipal election.
According to the latest numbers released, Richmond has had 8,901 ballots cast at the advanced polls, a 36 per cent increase on previous polls ahead of the 2014 election.
Four years ago, voter turnout spiked from 23.4 per cent in 2011 to 32.4 per cent.
Although the voter turnout for municipal elections is still the lowest turnout out of all three levels of government, with the other two holding elections midweek.
Advance voting numbers this year are up in almost every municipality, even in Vancouver, where voters have to sift through a list of 158 candidates across four different races.
More than 36,000 votes have been cast in the first seven days of advance voting, up about 23 per cent compared to 2014.
Vancouver has increased the number of advance voting dates and locations as part of its goal of achieving at least 60 per cent voter turnout by 2025.
In Burnaby, 10,139 people cast ballots across three days of advance polling, up about 45 per cent.
Surrey’s advance voter turnout nearly doubled to 22,185 across four days.
Coquitlam is so far bucking the trend: 2,604 votes have been cast in the first two days of advance polling, compared to 2,621 during the same period in 2014.
On Vancouver Island, advance voter turnout numbers are all but guaranteed to exceed those from 2014 in both Victoria and Saanich.
