General Election, 21 October 2019

Winter weather; snowstorm (Manitoba), 9–13 October 2019  

Between 9 and 13 October 2019 an unprecedented snowstorm hit the Canadian province of Manitoba, which involved freezing rain, wind gusts in excess of 90km/h in some areas, and more than 70 cm of snow across the region (Brittain 2020). In Winnipeg, the provincial capital, an estimated 30,000 trees were damaged or destroyed, causing debris on the roads and damaging powerlines (Greenslade 2020). At least 250,000 people were left without power, and both the province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg declared states of emergency on 13 October (Celestial 2019; Unger 2020). 

Impact on the electoral process  

The snowstorm disrupted plans for advance polls in several electoral districts. Due to intermittent power outages, some polling places were closed (as authorized by the Chief Electoral Officer), while others opened on a reduced schedule. Some electoral districts continued to experience power outages, road closures and flooding through election day (Elections Canada 2020). 

Elections Canada implemented a series of extraordinary measures for voters thus excluded from early voting for these reasons or due to evacuation. Additional polling places were opened for evacuees at the University of Winnipeg; Elections Canada cooperated with the Canadian Red Cross to transport evacuees to the polls and approximately voters made use of this channel – ballots were counted on-site at the end of election day. Elections Canada also ensured that emergency workers from both Manitoba and other provinces (such as Ontario and Saskatchewan) diverted by their duties on election day were able to vote – two additional service points were opened for them to vote via special ballot (Elections Canada 2020). 

Nationwide, voter turnout for the 2019 general election stood at 67 per cent; the turnout in 2015 had been 68.3 per cent (Elections Canada 2021). In Manitoba, the turnout was 75 compared with 76 per cent in 2015  (Statistics Canada 2022) – i.e., a smaller decline than the national average.