No lines but plenty of enthusiasm for advance voting in NWT

Amid nationwide reports of a significant uptick in advance voting this year, is the same thing happening the Northwest Territories?

The lengthy lines to vote reported elsewhere in Canada haven’t emerged in the NWT, where voter turnout at federal elections is usually among the lowest anywhere in the country (just 47 percent in 2021, compared to the national turnout of 63 percent).

But officials overseeing the vote at two Yellowknife hotels on Saturday were still heartened to report about 200 people had voted at the Chateau Nova Hotel on Friday – the first day of advance voting – and another 150 or so at the neighbouring Explorer Hotel.

One official who also worked on the 2021 election said Friday’s numbers felt higher to him than day one of advance polls four years ago, though footfall had slowed on Saturday. He noted the 2021 election had also been affected by the pandemic.

Even a busy advance poll in Yellowknife, population 22,000, would be unlikely to replicate the hours-long lineups reported in some southern Canadian cities on Friday. Nobody with whom Cabin Radio spoke had experienced any kind of delay in voting.

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“It was pretty straightforward,” said Meaghan Brackenbury as she left the Chateau Nova polling location with Alex Canuel-Kirkwood. “We switched up our voting cards by accident, he gave them mine and I gave them his. And you know what? They fixed it really quickly for us, so it was all good.”

“I wanted to make sure we got in there and cast our votes,” Brackenbury added. “It’s a right and a privilege and a responsibility to vote, so I wanted to do it while we had the time.”

Canuel-Kirkwood said he was there to “skip the line” on polling day itself, April 28.

The polling station at Inuvik's Midnight Sun Complex in April 2025. Claire McFarlane/Cabin Radio — The polling station at Inuvik’s Midnight Sun Complex. Claire McFarlane/Cabin Radio

In Inuvik, the story on Friday was different. One poll worker speculated that most people would have taken advantage of the holiday to enjoy the jamboree in nearby Aklavik.

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Still, some voters did show up in the Beaufort Delta on day one of advance voting. Theresa and Patrick, who each asked to share only their first name, said they had done so as they would be travelling or out of town on April 28.

“From a federal perspective, I think we can’t ignore the global politics that are happening right now, especially with our neighbours down south,” said Patrick, outlining what motivated his vote.

“Especially pertinent to Inuvik, there’s new threats to the Arctic that are important. For me, the future of our military and our sovereignty in the Arctic is very important.”

Mark, another Inuvik voter who similarly gave only his first name, listed similar concerns.

“I was more focused on national issues and the national parties rather than the local issues,” Mark said, describing those national issues as “interference in markets by the Americans and I guess northern safety, the build-up of Russia in the Arctic, and northern security.”

Theresa said social issues were also “at the forefront of people’s minds.”

‘A bit of a push-pull’

In Yellowknife, Julie Green – turning up to a food drive for the YWCA NWT shortly after casting her vote – said she had used the advance poll as she wouldn’t be in the city on election day and always took care to vote.

Green, a former Yellowknife MLA and the territory’s health minister from 2020 to 2023, said she was concerned about affordability.

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“I’m fortunate to have secure housing and food security but as the president of the Y, we deal with lots of people who don’t have either of those things,” she said.

“And obviously, even though it seems like a long way from here, I am concerned about Trump and tariffs. I recognize that for lots of people who work in the resource development sector, steel, aluminum, and then make cars and trucks, this is an existential crisis for them.”

Green ultimately voted for New Democratic Party candidate Kelvin Kotchilea but said that decision had been “a little harder” than in other years. “It was a bit of a push-pull,” she said.

“I think the NDP played a really pivotal role in accountability for the Liberal government last time, and they were able to introduce programs that have a real impact on people – pharmacare and also the dental program,” said Green.

“I know people worry about the instability of the minority government, but I feel like the NDP has a crucial role to play there in advancing my values, social justice values.”

The other candidates in the NWT riding are Rebecca Alty for the Liberals, Kimberly Fairman for the Conservatives and Rainbow Eyes for the Greens.

Meaghan Brackenbury, left, and Alex Canuel-Kirkwood. Ollie Williams/Cabin Radio

Canuel-Kirkwood said he had voted for Alty.

“Housing and affordability is the main thing. That’s where I lean toward the Liberal Party because I align with a lot of what Carney is saying,” he said.

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“I don’t necessarily trust that the Conservative Party will do the things that I’m hoping the economy will do when it comes to the next four or five years.”

More: For some Hay River voters, things ‘feel really heavy’

For Canuel-Kirkwood, housing is a personal issue.

“I’m 30 now and I’m still renting,” he said. “It’s time to own a home and I’m looking at how expensive homes are, and I’m kind-of worried about my future as a potential homeowner.”

Brackenbury voted for Kotchilea.

“I was really looking at platforms to see who would best support community, particularly people most vulnerable in the community – programs that are going to support people and uplift people,” she said. “That’s why I chose to vote NDP today, because I align most with their platforms and their priorities.”

Advance voting continues from 9am to 9pm on Sunday and Monday in the following locations: