Press release no. 18 - April 7, 2014 general election - Advance polling update after Day 2 : 1 057 706 electors exercised their right to vote

QUÉBEC, April 1, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - At the end of the second day of advance polling held yesterday, March 31, Mr. Jacques Drouin, Chief Electoral Officer, announces that 1 057 706 electors exercised their right to vote to date. This total corresponds to 17,68 % of the total number of electors registered on the lists of electors prior to the special revision. For yesterday, the turnout rate was 8,31%. It should be noted that this number of electors includes those who voted at the office of the returning officer on March 28 and 29, as well as the electors who voted at their domicile, in a residential facility, or in an educational establishment on these same days.

In comparison, 919 120 electors had taken part in advance polling at the end of the second day of advance polling in 2012, for a turnout rate of 15,57%.

The counting of the votes cast during advance polling will take place on election night, namely April 7. The vote outside the electoral division will be counted at the main office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

A table indicating the turnout rate for each electoral division of Québec at the end of the first day of advance polling is available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer at the following address: http://monvote.qc.ca/fr/taux_participation_bva.asp, by clicking on the "Participation Rates" button on the right side of the home page.

Voting from this Tuesday to Thursday

Starting today, electors who would like to exercise their right to vote will be able to do so at the office of the returning officer of their electoral division. Voting at the office of the returning officer will take place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow. Polling stations will close at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.

It should be noted that the electors residing temporarily outside their electoral division can vote at the returning officer's office. They receive a ballot on which they indicate the name of the candidate they want to vote for in their electoral division.

The vote in the educational institutions resumes also today in the universities, cégeps, colleges, and in vocational training centres attended by at least 300 students with the right to vote.

To know the address of their polling station, electors can consult the voter's information card they received recently. They can also refer to the Chief Electoral Officer's web site at www.monvote.qc.ca or contact the Information Center at the following numbers:

1 888 ÉLECTION (1 888 353-2846) – from outside the Québec City area

[phone] or 1 800 537-0644 – TDD

SOURCE: Directeur général des élections

Stéphanie Isabel, Information officer, [phone] or 1 888 870-3320, [email protected]