Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo voter turnout lower than past two federal elections, according to Elections Canada

Photo: Kristen Holliday

Voters stand in line at a polling station in downtown Kamloops on Monday, Sept. 20.

Early numbers indicate voter turnout in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding dipped slightly on Monday compared to the past two federal elections.

According to data from Elections Canada, just over 60 per cent of registered voters in the riding cast their ballots, although the agency said this number doesn’t include voters who registered on election day.

There is still one poll remaining in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo that has yet to report its results. Mail-in ballots have not been counted yet, either.

Canada-wide, 59 per cent of registered voters chose to cast ballots in this election.

In the 2019 federal election, there was nearly a 70 per cent turnout in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, and the 2015 election saw 73 per cent of registered residents vote.

In a city council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Ken Christian said he wanted to thank the group of about 70,000 people in the riding who chose to vote on Monday.

“The voter turnout without the mail-in ballots was around 60 per cent, which is almost twice what we see for a municipal election. So that, I think, is a statement about the health of our democracy,” Christian said.

He said he also wanted to extend his thanks to all the candidates who put their names forward, as well as the volunteers and workers who helped run their campaigns.

“As we all know, that’s a difficult thing to do, and that I think they deserve our thanks for that,” he said.

Christian said he has reached out to Frank Caputo, the newly-elected Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, and hopes they will be able to meet in the coming days to discuss city matters Caputo can help bring forward to Ottawa.

He also thanked outgoing MP Cathy McLeod for her years of service to the riding.

“Her service to this riding in its various iterations I think has been commendable, and I think she was always available to our council, and I think that she was a voice for this city in Ottawa," he said.

"I wish her all the best in her retirement."