Constituents in both Prince George ridings came en masse for advance polling numbers according to full numbers released today (Oct. 18) by Elections Canada.
Advance voting days were held over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on Oct. 11, 12, 13 and 14.
Cariboo-Prince George currently has 84,116 registered voters, while Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies shows a total 79,397.
In 2015, Cariboo-Prince George saw 9,891 votes cast during advance voting days whereas Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies had 10,898 cast.
If you thought those numbers were high, you'll be astounded by this year.
Cariboo-Prince George has already recorded 12,830 votes and Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies saw 15,431 cast.
Those numbers equate to a 25 per cent increase for Cariboo-Prince George and a whopping 40 per cent increase for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies.
"More and more, Canadians are taking advantage of early voting opportunities to cast their ballots," said Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault in a news release. "Having extended voting hours at advance polls gave Canadians more flexibility to use this option. I want to thank returning officers for their careful planning and the thousands of election workers who made that possible."
The country also saw a major increase in advance voting numbers with 4,700,000 ballots cast nationwide compared to 3,657,415 in 2015.
Elections Canada says that's a 29 per cent increase.
General voting day is Oct. 21.
