Advance polls: long waits and a protest clown

The first day of advance polling did not go smoothly for some Montreal voters.

Reports of long lines with waiting times as long as two hours trickled in as the day went on.

One advance polling station inNotre-Dame-de-Grcewas especially problematic, with voters saying only a singlevoting boothwas open, and there weren't enough seats for those waitingmany of whom were seniors.

"There were over 100 people waiting," saidMoiraCarley, an NDG resident, who showed up to cast an advance ballot atthe station at 2545CavendishBoulevard. "The hallway where people were waiting was dark, and there were not enough chairs."

When she learned the waiting time one and a half hours at the timeshe went Carleyleft without voting, as she had to leave on a business trip.

Voters said that officials gave out numbered tickets so those waiting could leaveand come back when their turn came.

"I've been waiting an hour and a half now," said Joan Decarie, at the same polling station. She said she votes during advanced polling every election. "It's supposed to save time ... It takes me 10, 15, 20 minutes at the most."

A few covered faces

Some voters also used the day to call attention to the niqab debate that has dominated much of the election to date. One man from Dorval showed up to vote in a clown costume and claimed he was able to vote without removing his mask. He saidan officer asked him to take an oath to confirm his identity.

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"Truly sad that I can vote to elect a Canadian prime minister without having to show my faceand prove my identity," said RafikHanna.

Onewoman showed up at a polling station in Cap-Rouge, near Quebec City, wearing a potato sack on her head. It was later confirmed thatshe was able to cast her ballot after swearing an oath.

And in Gatineau, a man showed up to vote at theCentre Communautaire Le Baron dressed as a ghost. But rather than takean oath, he said he showed his face to confirm his identity.

As the day progressed, social media groups emerged urging voters to wear masks at the ballot as a form of protest. Few of them had more than 105 Facebook likes, so it appears theydid not get much traction. However, the photo of one man who claimed to vote whileveiled by the Quebec flag was shared widely.

The photo appeared on theFacebook page of Pegida Canada, an anti-Muslim group.

Confusion at Concordia

Voters hoping to cast a ballot at the downtowncampus polling stationat Concordia University's J.W. McConnell Buildingwere turned away from advance polls on Friday,unless they were able toshow that they live in the riding ofVille-MarieLe Sud-Ouestle-des-Surs.

Earlier in the week,Elections Canada had set up a pop-up electoral office there, at which students were allowed to cast ballots in any riding in which they were eligible to vote. However, those pop-up electoral offices closed on Thursday.

That sowed a lot of confusion among out-of-riding voters.

Concordiaspokeswoman Fiona Downey said in a statement the university had been given "erroneous information" by Elections Canada.

Out-of-riding voters may still vote by special ballot until Tuesday, Oct. 13. at the Elections Canada office at 555 Ren-Lvesque Boulevard West in Montrealor at anyElections Canada office.