Long lineups cause frustration at polling sites across the GTA,

GTA ridings see delays as number of stations curtailed by pandemic

The pandemic has a way of making its presence known — and election day in Canada was no exception. Physically distanced lineups that have become a Toronto fixture during COVID-19 were a common sight at polling stations Monday as voters waited to cast their ballots.

Numerous voters who spoke to the Star on Monday expressed surprise with the unusually long wait times. While some were nearly deterred by the prospect of a long wait, their desire to cast a ballot outweighed the frustration of queuing up.

As cars whizzed overhead on the Gardiner Expressway, Kaila Simpson, a voter in Spadina— Fort York, said the long line and large turnout at her polling station at Fort York National Historic Site came as no surprise.

“The year we’ve had, I fully was expecting it,” she said, adding she had seen people moving quickly away from each other if another voter came too near.

Approximately 200 voters were observed at Fort York by the Star, with the line following the path of the Bentway Trail toward Bathurst Street.

“I really didn’t think (the election) should happen this year,” Simpson said.

“There is way too much going on and too much turmoil in our country already.”

The long lines were a feature of Spadina—Fort York, a riding which had just 15 polling stations for this election, down from 56 in 2019. A long line snaked around the polling station at Canoe Landing Community Centre before polls had even opened at 9:30 a.m.

In the Distillery District, a high turnout over lunchtime saw people waiting upwards of 40 minutes to cast their ballots.

Khaled Elabd, who was inching closer to the front of the line when he spoke with the Star, said the long wait nearly deterred him from entering the lineup. After a brief consideration, he joined in. “At the end of the day, we still have to come vote,” he said.

However, Elabd felt adding more polling stations may have alleviated some of the pressure on voters and poll workers.

Toward the end of the queue was Isobel Medel, who said the wait was a surprise.

Medel came over her lunch break to avoid the rush — but found others had the same idea. “Hopefully it’s not longer than 20 or 30 minutes,” she said, adding that working from home gave her some flexibility to stay in the line.

Like Elabd, Medel wished there were more options for voting during the pandemic.

“It would make sense to make it more accessible for people,” she said, continuing that while she knew electronic voting comes with security risks, she’d have liked to see the option, given the issues caused by COVID-19.

Despite the delays, there was a brief respite from standing in the hot sun: A woman who identified herself only as Anita came with her two children to hand out Popsicles to people still waiting their turn.

“It’s a hot day, and it was a long line,” she told the Star, adding she had cast her own ballot earlier Monday morning.

There were also reports of delays as polls were set to close. At 9:45 p.m., a line still stretched out the door at North Toronto Collegiate Institute, near Yonge and Eglinton, in the Toronto— St. Paul’s riding.

The usual number of polling venues was severely curtailed due to the pandemic, which led to ridings such as Spadina— Fort York and King-Vaughan seeing very long lines, with reported wait times of up to two hours.

However, if voters were in line before their poll closed, they were allowed to cast their ballots.