For Elections N.B., Monday's vote is like 'Stanley Cup final'

How big a dealis election day for staff at the agency tasked withoverseeing it?

"This is our game seven of the Stanley Cup final and the finale of the Eras Tour all wrapped into one," said Elections N.B.'s chief electoral officer Kim Poffenroth.

Most polling stations will be open until 8 p.m. Mondayto allow votersacross the province to cast ballots for the MLAs they want to lead the province through the next four years.

Two locations opened a bit late, however, due to "some logistical assembly issues,"and will remain open for the corresponding amount of time past 8 p.m. to ensure they're open the full 10 hours, said Poffenroth.

The Dennis Morris polling station in Saint John West-Lancaster opened 25 minutes behind schedule because the team was "struggling with assembling the ballot box," she said.

WATCH | Poffenroth doesn't expect late openings will affect reporting of results:

Polling stations that opened late will close late, Elections N.B. says

4 days ago

Duration 1:16

Chief Electoral Officer Kim Poffenroth of Elections N.B. explains why two polling stations didn't open on time on Monday morning.

Similarly, the Club De L'Age D'Orpolling station inSaint Jacques, in the riding ofMadawaska Les Lacs-Edmundston, opened 10 minuteslate, as the team struggled to "fix the tabulation machine to the ballot box," she said.

Poffenroth doesn't expect these "hiccups" will have an impact on the reporting of results, but spotty cellphone coverage at about 16 sites means those results will have to be called in, with the digital information transferred later in the day.

"We will start seeing initial results fairly shortly after 8 p.m., as all of the returning officers have the advanced poll tabulation machines in their office,and those should be the first results you start to see this evening."

About 150,000ballotswere cast during the province's two days of advanced votingat returning offices and at special polls at universities, hospitals and care homes, said Poffenroth.

Hopes for a good turnout

Shedoesn't like to compare the numbers to 2020, sincethat election was affected by the pandemic, but the numbers are a "significant increase" over 2018, she said. Voter turnout that year was about 66 per cent.

By 4 p.m. Monday,an additional113,400 people hadvoted, said Elections N.B.spokesperson Paul Harpelle.

The largest volume of votes are cast between4 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to Poffenroth.

She'soptimistic participation will be up,based on what she's been hearing from staff at returning offices around the province.

"They've all anecdotally talked about all of the new Canadians, new New Brunswickers and young New Brunswickers coming in to register to vote. And it's actually been quite inspirational hearing the stories of all of these new voters."

More than 6,300 people had been added to the voter rolls before Monday, and that number is set to go up as people can still register to vote at the polls.

Poffenroth urged everyone to exercise their "most fundamental and cherished democratic right."

Every vote counts, she stressed.

"If you have a significant proportion of people who think their single vote doesn't count, that adds up to hundreds of thousands of votes."

Talking to voters in Fredericton

Beck Dunhamvoted for the first time on Monday, in the Fredericton-Lincoln riding.

He was "pretty excited" but also found it "scary," he said. "It's a big thing to kind of contribute to what might change around us in the coming years."

Lorraine Macleodmade sure she cast her ballot Monday atglise catholique Ste-Anne-des-Pays-Bas voting stationin Fredericton.

"Soldiers fought and died for my freedom to vote. It is very important to me, and every vote counts," she said.

"If we want change, we have to vote for change. So I'm here to do that and I hope that change will come.But if not, I will know I've done the right thing and I'm happy to vote and exercise my right."

Macleodsaid others shouldvote too if they "don't like what's happening otherwise, don't complain."

Fredericton resident Neil Livingstonesaid he couldn't imagine not voting.

"I believe in democracy, You know, I think we all have a choice."

Although Livingstone admits he didn't pay much attention to the campaign because he was "so distracted by the American election," he said he knew he planned to vote forGreen Party Leader David Coon.

"I am voting for my favourite colour, army green. Did 28 years in the military, so the green is in my blood."

Gene Campbell said he has alway been interested in politics, and paid close attention to thecampaign in his riding of Fredericton-Lincoln.Rent control and the cost of living were key issues for him, he said.

Moncton voters talk industry, economy and health care

In Moncton,Roy MacMullinsaid healways votes, but "sometimes one issue drives people to vote."

He believes there's "one major issue" that will drive voters in his riding this election the American Iron and Metal scrapyard.

Sydney Sexton thinks citizens are "more well informed now than they've ever been," and believes the "struggling" economy will be on a lot of people's minds.

"We've seen the rising costs of things and I think people are concerned both the older and younger generations. We'reall feeling the pinch," she said.

WATCH |People across the province cast their ballots in the 41st general election:

New Brunswick voters head to the polls

4 days ago

Duration 2:11

Polling stations are open until 8 p.m., and as one voter told CBC New Brunswick: you dont have a right to complain if you dont vote.

Joyce Busseysaid thehealth-care system is a key issue in her social circle.

"I have friends that are way up there in age and they don't have a doctor and it's hard. I'm lucky I have a doctor, but there's a lot of other people that hasn't and it's the long waits at the hospital."

For Anne-Marie Arsenault, who worriesabout the state of democracy around the world, voting is the one way everyone can do their part.

"We have our voice and we have to take advantage of the opportunity we have," she said outside theCrossman Community Centre-Kay Arena polling station.

Claudia MacLean agrees. She was "a little too eager" to vote and showed up at 9:30 a.m., only to be told to come back at 10 a.m., she said.

"I think it's very important for us to show who we want to represent usas New Brunswickers," she said. Themore people who express their opinions through voting, the better off we will be as a democratic society.

Tyson Boudreau, who has children, said voting is important because "it's kind of what affects us, long run."

"If we're going to complain about what happens, we should at least put the effort in to go help decide who's making those decisions. And if we don't do that, we shouldn't complain."

Website delays due to 'high number of visitors'

On Monday morning, the "Where Do I Vote?" feature onElection N.B.'s websitewas experiencing delays "due to the high number of visitors," according to the agency, which said it was aimingto increase network capacity.

Elections N.B. has also been fielding calls from concerned voters who discovered their riding recently changed due to redrawnboundaries.

Poffenroth said it's been difficult for returning officers to find places to put polls this year.

"In some cases there's been one available space, just because of the large development in some of the urban areas," she said.

Good to know

If people have a voter information card, they should bring it to the polls to make things gosmoothly,Poffenroth said. But if they don't, or aren't yet registered, they can bring a combination of identificationthat include their name, address and signature.

If you're in line at a regular polling station by 8 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, no matter how many people are in front of you or how long it takes.

While you can still vote at a returning office until 8p.m., that's a hard cut-off. If you haven't voted by 8p.m., you won't get to.

"If you're planning on waiting till the last minute to vote or you get caught up at something, don't go to your returning office," said Poffenroth.

CBCNews will have coverage of the resultsstarting at 7:30 p.m. on radio, television, our website, theCBC Listen app, CBC Gem and Youtube.