Nearly 85K Ottawans have already voted in the city's election

More Ottawans voted in advance polls or via special mail-in ballotsthis year than in the city's two previousmunicipal elections, according to numbers released Sunday by the city.

With expanded voting options in place for 2022,84,630 residents or roughly 11.7 per cent of eligible voters in the city have already cast their ballots.

The60,615 peoplewho voted on two advance voting days on Oct. 7and Oct. 14 amounted to a roughly 50 per cent increase over the 41,163 who cast ballots onthe single advance voting dayin 2018 and the39,338 who did so in 2014.

Elections Ottawa also held four"special advance voting days" from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27 where eligible voters coulddrop by any of nine locations across the city. Another18,867 people cast ballots those days, the city said.

The city had also processed 5,148 mail-in ballots as of Oct. 13.

Elections Ottawa considered the city's "diverse geography" when itplannedadvance voting options, saidMichle Rochette, manager of municipal elections with the City of Ottawa.

The city wantedto ensure "equitable access to voting places for all electors in every ward," Rochette said in an email.

University of Ottawa political scientist Daniel Stockemer previously told CBChe believes the two main factorsdriving increased interest in this election arethecompetitiveness of themayoral raceand the highly "politicized environment" in Ottawa followingthis winter's convoy occupation.

Stockemer estimated the city could see turnout as high as 60 per cent, well above the 42.2 per cent who voted in the 2018 Ottawa municipal election.

Election dayisMonday, Oct. 24.