Just over half of all eligible voters in the Kenora riding went to the polls to cast their ballots Monday night, helping re-elect Kenora MP Eric Melillo and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Overall, Elections Canada is reporting that 24,527 of 45,500 registered voters, or just under 54 per cent, cast their vote, with 147 of 150 polls reporting in the riding. Nationally, Canada saw a drop in voters with 58 per cent of residents head to the polls.
In 2019, the Kenora riding saw 27,304 total votes with 147 of 148 polls reported, representing just under 60 per cent of eligible voters in the area. Across the country, 2019’s federal election saw a 66 per cent voting rate.
Senator hopeful Tania Cameron has reported that members of Wabauskang First Nation, Pikangikum First Nation and Cat Lake First Nation were not able to vote on Monday as all three communities did not host polling stations, representing the three missing polling stations in the area. The three communities represent about 1,600 eligible voters.
The federal Kenora riding, the largest in Ontario, has been bouncing between the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals since its creation in 2004, after being split from Thunder Bay and Rainy River. The last NDP candidate to win the riding federally was John Edmund Parry in 1988.