Elections Canada offers wrong advice, voter claims

A B.C. voter says Elections Canada gave her the wrong advice after she told them the wait times at her polling station were more than two hours long.

"It's encouraging to know that people are coming out, but in other ways I think that should have been anticipated," said Tasha Sargent, who tried voting at the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

"Anybody, who maybe it's their first time voting, if they're maybe not that dedicated a voter, might not come out."

Sargent decided to leave when another voter came out of the polling station and told her he had waited more than two hours to vote. 

When she phoned Elections Canada to tell them about the wait, she says they told her to try other nearby polling stations. 

Problem is, federal election rules don't allow voters to switch polling stations. Only provincial and municipal elections do. 

"Each person is assigned a polling location," said Elections Canada spokeswoman Dorothy Sitek. "There are no options."

Sitek said the long lineups experienced at some locations is typical on the first day of voting. 

"Most people show up the first day, the first few hours," said Sitek.

She said it's important to remember that although most election staff are return employees, they haven't worked a federal election in about four years.

She expects the lineups to decrease over the next few days as the excitement of the first day of advance voting recedes. 

Long wait times across B.C.

Sargent was one of many people across the province who expressed dismay over long lineups at their advance polling stations. 

"People were furious," said Victoria resident Jean Louise, who waited over an hour to vote at the North Saanich Middle School. 

"Why can't they get their act together. Why can't they get more than one polling booth?" 

Louise said someone in the lineup held up their phone when they called Elections Canada to complain, and all those who were waiting booed.

Not all polling stations had long wait times. Some people were reporting only waiting about five minutes to vote.