Photo: Jon Manchester

Voters come and go from a polling station in Vernon, Monday.

The turnout for Monday's election was lower than in 2015, both locally and across the country.

When Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party took a majority government four years ago, 68.3 per cent of registered voters showed up to the polls, the highest percentage since Jean Chretien was elected in 1993. This time around, that number dipped slightly to about 66 per cent, although all 2019 figures do not yet take into account voters who registered on election day.

Turnout numbers also dropped across all five ridings in the Thompson-Okanagan. In Kelowna-Lake Country, where Conservative Tracy Gray ousted Liberal incumbent Stephen Fuhr by more than 8,800 votes, 67.87 per cent of registered voters made it to the polls, a drop of almost 2.8 per cent compared to 2015.

The bordering riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola, where Conservative Dan Albas comfortably secured a third term, saw 67.25 per cent voter turnout, dropping from 70.96 per cent last time around.

The NDP's Richard Cannings narrowly squeaked out a second term in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding, where 67.72 per cent of voters made it out, a significant drop of almost five per cent from 2015.

The North Okanagan-Shuswap saw a more than three per cent dip in turnout, where Conservative Mel Arnold secured a second term, while the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, where Conservative Cathy Mcleod won a seat, saw a more than 3.5 per cent drop in turnout.

This trend was also seen across B.C. While 70 per cent of voters showed up in the province last election, that number fell to just over 65 per cent this time around.

The highest voter turnout in Canadian election history came in 1958, when 79.4 per cent of voters showed up to elect John Diefenbaker, giving his Progressive Conservatives the largest majority government in the nation's history.