Long waits for advance voting at some Metro Vancouver polling stations

Frustration at some advance polling stations Advance voting in the federal election is now open, but some voters are expressing frustration with the process.

Vancouver — Voters at some Metro Vancouver advance polling stations have been frustrated by long waits and an apparent lack of organization.

Doug Low said it took him about 50 minutes to cast his ballot at Minoru Park in Richmond on Saturday, an experience said could have been streamlined.

"Each district has a polling number," Low said. "We were 611. So, as you walk up to the building, as you can tell, there's no numbers that tell you where you're supposed to be standing. People are all just standing in one line, but they're not supposed to be in one line."

He said this slowed down the process, sometimes forcing poll workers to come out and ask for the next person in line from a given district.

"They had different booths, but they're not clarifying what that is outside, so people are just lining up, not knowing where to stand," he said. "It would be a simple thing just to put up a little sign."

Heather Chen had a similar experience, waiting an hour to cast her vote on Saturday.

"During the provincial election it was very quick," Chen said. "It was in and out. This is line up and line up again inside."

CTV News also received complaints about long lineups at an advance polling station in Burnaby, where some reported waiting up to two hours to cast their ballots.

While the wait was frustrating, Low said it was worth it.

"My wife and I are willing to stay in line for however long it takes, because it's important that everybody votes," he said.