Advance polling numbers up in Yukon, down in N.W.T., Nunavut

As voters across the North head to the polls for the 2019 federal election, thousands have already taken part in advance voting, with Yukoners outstripping the other two territories.

Preliminary estimates from Elections Canada say that 4,251 Yukon residents took part in this year's advance polls, which took place from Oct. 11 to 14. That's up from 3,042 in 2015, or an increase of 39.7 per cent.

However, the trend went the opposite way in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. In the N.W.T., 2,437 residents cast advance ballots, down from 2,956 in 2015. That's a decrease of 17.5 per cent.

In Nunavut, 959 voters took advantage of the advance option, down from 1,092 a decrease of 12.2 per cent.

Taken as a percentage of eligible voters, the preliminary data says that 14.7 per cent of Yukon voterscast a ballot in advance voting, with 8.0 per cent of N.W.T. voters and 5.1 per cent of Nunavut voters doing the same.

In the Northern Quebec riding of AbitibiBaieJamesNunavikEeyou, which encompasses Nunavik and Cree territory in the province, 7,362 voters, or 11.4 per cent of all eligible voters, voted in advance.

In total, about 4.7 million Canadians took advantage of the advanced voting option, up from 3.65 million in 2015.

Poll hours for northerners voting today vary by territory/province. In Quebec and Nunavut, polls close at 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT.

In the Northwest Territories, polls close at 7:30 p.m MT. In Yukon, polls close at 7:00 p.m. PT.