A surge in early voting may not mean higher voter turnout: N.S.political analyst
Early voting is up significantly in Nova Scotia compared to the same point in the last provincial election, but it's unclear if the increase will translate to more votes overall.
As of Thursday, 12,300 voters had already cast their ballot or requested a write-in ballot. At this point in the 2017 provincial election, just over 4,300 early votes had been cast.
Although early voting is up, experts say it’s too early to tell if this will reflect in the overall voter turnout.
"What this shows me is that there hasn't yet been a massive push, either through generalized advertising by Elections Nova Scotia, or the parties and candidates themselves to get people to cast their ballots early," said Tom Urbaniak, a political science professor at Cape Breton University.
Voter turnout for the 2017 election was just 54 per cent. Some worry this election could drop below that.
"Fifty per cent is a psychological threshold," said Urbaniak. "If we were to see voter turnout below 50 per cent it would have a kind of corrosive impact on our sense of the legitimacy of our political actor."
As for the leaders of the three major parties, NDP's Gary Burrill was the first to cast his ballot on Wednesday and Liberal leader Iain Rankin voted Friday. PC leader Tim Houston says he plans to vote on Election Day.
"We just want people to vote, it's important, it matters who we elect. Democracy still matters and that's the message we're sharing with Nova Scotians,” said Houston.
"I think that people are excited about the next chapter for our province. Everywhere I go I hear optimism of what we can do in this province,” said Rankin.
"All of our candidates are experiencing on the doorsteps a real engagement, a real interest,” said Burrill.
Elections Nova Scotia typically hires about 6,000 people to run a provincial election, but because of new COVID-19 protocols, they need an additional 2,000 workers.
"Most positions you need to be an eligible voter, so you need to be 18 years of age or older, a Canadian citizen and have lived in Nova Scotia since January 17 of 2021,” said Naomi Shelton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.