More than 10,000 voters have already voted in advance for the supplementary election to be held on Monday, October 2, in the municipality of Jean-Talon, Quebec. The turnout rate before the vote reached 21.89%, Élections Québec reported on its website Tuesday morning.
The 10,247 voters who had already spoken did so on Sunday and Monday.
Votes registered at the returning officer’s office last Friday and Saturday were also counted, which were generally lower, as were votes collected at home or in facilities such as CHSLDs or RPAs by voters who were unable to travel for health reasons .
However, as this is a partial election, there was no polling station on campus specifically designed for students, despite the presence of a university and three CEGEPs in the constituency.
Voting continues to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the election office and on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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The supplementary election called in Jean-Talon aims to replace CAQ MP Joëlle Boutin, who resigned her seat this summer, less than a year after being re-elected.
Ten candidates fight against each other. Particularly represented are the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Québec Solidaire (QS), the Parti Québécois (PQ), the Liberal Party of Québec (PLQ), the Conservative Party of Québec (PCQ) and Climat Québec.
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The race to succeed Joëlle Boutin is highly competitive.
Photo: Radio-Canada
The race could be close. Hoping to retain the constituency, CAQ leader François Legault, notably for a few moments on Monday evening, took off his prime ministerial clothes to go door-to-door in the company of his candidate Marie-Anik Shoiry.
The campaign, which lasted less than a week, was marked by numerous debates, including around the tram and the third link between Quebec and Lévis.
PLQ and QS were also criticized by their opponents for advertising and sponsoring publications on Meta’s social networks, as the web giant disputed with Ottawa over royalties payable to Canadian media under the Online News Act.
Advance voting is becoming increasingly popular in Quebec. In the 2022 general election it was almost 25%, a record.
For comparison: the participation rate after two days’ notice in the Montreal Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne race reached 12.6% last winter. Ultimately, it was QS that won this partial election, necessitated by the departure of Liberal leader Dominique Anglade last fall.