Early voter turnout down compared to 2021 as Nova Scotia campaign enters last week

CITYnews halifax / By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — With one week to go in the Nova Scotia election campaign, early voter turnout is down sharply compared to the 2021 election.

Elections Nova Scotia says that as of Monday, a total of 64,000 early votes had been cast, which is 11,367 fewer than the 75,367 votes cast at the same point in 2021’s summer campaign.

Early votes include write-in ballots, early votes cast at the returning office and advance polls.

Liberal Party Leader Zach Churchill said during a news conference today the figures may be due to “election fatigue” as the date comes on the heels of municipal and U.S. elections.

He says a postal strike has also meant voters aren’t receiving cards indicating early voting locations.

The Liberal leader repeated his criticism of Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston’s decision to ignore a law his government passed in the fall of 2021 that set July 15, 2025 as the date for the next election.

At the time, Houston said the law would “limit any perceived advantage by the government to control the timing of the next election.”

But with the Tories holding a strong lead in the polls last month, Houston dropped the commitment and called a snap election for Nov. 26, arguing that he needed a new mandate to deal with an affordability crisis and to “stand up” to Ottawa.

Churchill says he is hoping that voters will nonetheless pay attention to his party’s platform in the final days of the race, including his announcement Tuesday of more support for renters who have faced rapidly rising monthly costs.

He repeated his pledge to provide a “rent bank” program, which would provide quick-turnaround, zero-interest loans to renters who find themselves unable to make monthly payments.

The Liberal leader is also promising to alter fixed-term leases that go beyond a year.

He argued the leases — which allow landlords to refuse renewals without giving reasons — are a loophole that make existing rent caps ineffective. Advocacy groups for landlords have argued the fixed-term leases are useful because they allow a trial period before offering long-term leases to tenants.

Churchill also said his party’s rent cap system would be set based on inflation, market conditions and vacancy rates on a regional basis, and the party says it will establish a residential tenancies enforcement unit.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender has criticized the Progressive Conservative government’s record on housing, saying the average one-bedroom apartment in the province costs $2,000 a month, while rent overall has increased by 18 per cent in the last year.

Chender, who voted at an advance poll today and didn’t hold any media events, has promised more public housing built with government funds.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2024.