UBC voters frustrated after waiting over 3 hours past polls closing to cast ballot

University of British Columbiastudent Andre Ramkairsingh waited more than 3 hours to vote at the only on-campus polling station Monday, earning himself the title of one of the last Canadians to cast a vote in the 2021 general election.

He was one of many on campus left frustrated with the voting process and how it was organized.

"It seems like it was already kind ofdecided by the end, but I figured I may as well just go anyway," Ramkairsingh said with a heavy sigh.

Throughout election day, long lines could be seen snakingfrom the voting station through the halls of UBC, with many people, a large number of them students, waiting upwardof three hours to cast a ballot.

UBCestimates that around 14,000 people livein campus neighbourhoods, in addition to the 12,800 people living in student housing. Neighbouring the campus are the University Endowment Lands, whichhavea population of around 3,000, according to UBC.

It's unclear how many voters were directed to the campusvoting station.

But long after the election had already been called and the Liberal Partyhad secured a minority government, voters were still waiting.

Ramkairsinghjoined the line just before 7 p.m. PT, when thepolls were supposed to close in B.C.He said he cast his ballot at 10:38p.m.

"The whole day, it was just a long, long line. I thought it was going to get shorter but it didn't," said Ramkairsingh, who felt he had to perseveredespite how unenthused he felt.

"I feel like you're supposed to do it. It's your duty. That's how democracy works."

First-year student Paige Holmes says she didn't expect to be waiting so long, especially after it took her mother in the Kootenays less than 20 minutes to cast her ballot.

"It was a little frustrating, especially hunger-wise. It was frustrating but understandable. They were doing their best," she said.

UBCpresident Santa Ono shared his disappointment over the "extraordinarily long wait times" for voting on campus.

"We must do better to ensure students and the university community have convenient and equitable access to voting," he tweeted on Tuesday.

Elections Canada says it was grateful to electors in the UBC area for their patience and commitment to the democratic process.

"The lineups we are extremely sorry for," said spokesperson Andrea Marantz. "It was highly regrettable."

She said poll workers did everything they could in challenging circumstances to ensure a safe voting process, and added thatElections Canada will reflect on the issue and make changes.

The pandemic made it difficult to lease appropriate spaces for polling stations, Marantzsaid.

WATCH | Exhausted UBC student not happy about how long it took to vote:

Andre Ramkairsingh one of last Canadians to vote in federal election

3 years ago

Duration 0:30

UBC student Andre Ramkairsingh waited more than three and a half hours to vote in the election.

Vote on Campus program

Frustration with the long lineups came amid anger over the cancellation of a student voting program before the election.

Elections Canada introduced the Vote on Campus program in the 2015 election to encourage more university students to cast a special ballot at polling stations on campus.

It was scrapped this year, with Elections Canada saying the short timeline of the snap election and theongoing pandemic complicated the rollout of the program, which usually requires co-ordination with university administrations and student associations.

A petition asking for the program's return,claimingthat scrapping it amountedto voter suppression,gained more than 20,000 student signatures.

Gerald Baier, a professor of political science at UBC,tweeted that he was proud of students for waiting for hours on election daybut it shouldn't have been necessary.

"I'm livid about the absolute failure that was Elections Canada's decision to not run the student vote program. It's proven to help youth turnout. No excuses," he wrote.

But Marantz is confident the program will return.

"We are completely committed to bringing back the Vote on Campus program. It will be back," she said.