Despite the lineups on general voting day in 2014, overall voter turnout was very low at just 34.75 per cent. This year voting in the two advance polls is up 57 per cent over 2014, but it’s unclear if overall turnout will be up or if it just means more people are choosing to vote in advance. General voting day is this Saturday, Oct. 20 at the Sonora Community Centre from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Richard McGuire file photo)

The number of people voting at the two advance polls this year is up significantly over 2014.

It’s not yet clear whether this will mean an overall increase in turnout for this year’s municipal election, or whether it simply means more people are choosing to vote in advance instead of on election day this Saturday.

In advance polls held on Oct. 10 and Oct. 17, a total of 494 people in Osoyoos voted, said Janette Van Vianen, chief election officer.

That’s up from 315 who voted in advance in 2014 – an increase of 57 per cent.

Of the two polling dates, the Oct. 17 turnout was 307 compared to 187 a week earlier.

Residents in Area “A” of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) are eligible to vote for school trustee, but there is no election for RDOS director because Mark Pendergraft was acclaimed.

Van Vianen said a total of 51 people from the rural area have cast advance votes in the school trustee election.

In the 2014 election, a total of 1,648 people voted in the municipal election, meaning a turnout of just 34.75 per cent. That year’s turnout, however, was calculated differently by including non-resident property electors. When 2014 turnout is calculated the same way as turnout in other elections, it was 42.37 per cent.

This compares to turnout numbers of other elections in the prior decade, which ranged from 40 per cent in 2011 to 57.1 per cent in 2005.

That means that in 2014, more than 2,400 eligible voters didn’t vote. That election not only chose a new mayor and council, but also there was a vote to authorize spending on the new fire hall.

On election day, voting takes place at the Sonora Community Centre from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The advance polls were held in council chambers at town hall.

Osoyoos voters can cast one vote for mayor, with two candidates running.

They can cast four votes for councillors, with nine running.

And they can vote for two candidates to be school trustees, with three running.

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times