The 2019 federal election in Newfoundland and Labrador
is the tale of one of the most uncompetitive elections in recent memory.
The advance poll numbers make the point.
Newfoundland
and Labrador
|
Number of Electors
|
Electors
|
Percent
|
Avalon
|
7,024
|
86494
|
08
|
Bonavista–Burin–Trinity
|
3,185
|
74116
|
04
|
Coast of Bays–Central–Notre Dame
|
4,317
|
77680
|
5.5
|
Labrador
|
1,348
|
27197
|
05
|
Long Range Mountains
|
4,473
|
86553
|
05
|
St. John's East
|
9,187
|
85697
|
11
|
St. John's South–Mount Pearl
|
6,700
|
81979
|
08
|
Nationally, turn-out in the advance polls set a
record. That continued a
trend over the past two elections that saw an increase in the number voters
casting ballots earlier than the official polling day. Not so
in Newfoundland and Labrador. Elections Canada provided more opportunities to
vote in advance so that could have produced higher turn-out across the
province. But it didn’t.
All but one of the races in Newfoundland and Labrador saw
fewer than 10% of eligible voters turn out in the advance polls. The one race presumed to be highly
competitive – St. John’s East – saw a turn-out of 11%, which is the same
advance poll turn-out in that same
riding in 2015. In
other ridings in the province, the turn-out was the same or lower than 2015.
St. John’s East may return Jack Harris as the member
of parliament after rejecting him in 2015.
They may not. The race is close
but whether or not they return Harris to Ottawa, the real story in that riding
is that the provincial New Democrats could not find another candidate except
this 32-year veteran of provincial and federal politics. There was no competition for the
nomination.
