‘A good sign’: Elections NB gets 90K early votes, anticipates strong turnout at the polls

What New Brunswickers need to know as they head to the polls on Monday.

Monday is municipal election day in New Brunswick and local polling stations are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There are roughly 1,100 people nominated as candidates for mayor, council and district education councils across the province.

Early voting closed Saturday, and advanced polling numbers were “quite impressive,” according to Elections NB CEO Kim Poffenroth, who spoke with CTV Your Morning Atlantic Monday.

“Over 90,000 people had voted in advance, and that amounts to somewhere between 16 and 17 per cent of eligible electors,” said Poffenroth.

She added the municipal turnout is usually around 30 per cent provincewide.

“To have over half of that number having already voted is, hopefully, a good sign that we’ll have a higher turnout,” she said.

Poffenroth also said it’s hard to assess voter turnout for municipal elections on a provincewide basis because there’s a range of turnouts depending on the area.

Voters in New Brunswick can find their nearest polling station online. Elections NB recommends bringing voter information cards, which were sent out in the mail.

Elections NB says people who aren’t registered to vote can be added to the voters list by bringing specific identification to a polling station or returning office.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Nick Moore

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.