(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

With only a fraction of ballots left to count for the 2021 federal election, it's clear voters in the Thompson-Okanagan turned out in lower numbers than in 2019.

Voter turnout was 59.33% in South Okanagan-West Kootenay with 60,269 ballots cast among 101,570 eligible voters, according to data from Elections Canada. Two of the 289 polls have not reported. In 2019, the riding saw a voter turnout of 69.56%. The turnout was 73.67% in 2015.

Voter turnout in Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola 61,119 out of 99,631 eligible voters who cast a ballot for a turnout of 61.34% with one of 247 polls left to report. In 2019, the riding saw 65,276 voters and 69.28% turnout. In 2015, 62,164 ballots were cast for a 70.96% turnout.

The lowest turnout in the region was in Kelowna-Lake Country, where 61,554 of the 104,558 eligible voters showed up for a turnout of 58.87%, with one of the 233 polls left to count. In 2019, there were 69,425 voters and a 68.39% turnout, and in 2015 there was a 70.65% turnout with 64,385 voters.

The North Okanagan-Shuswap riding has counted 66,542 ballots in a riding with 110,729 eligible voters, for a turnout of 60.09%. One of the 208 polls is yet to be reported. In 2019, the riding saw 74,594 voters and a 69.25% turnout, and in 2015 there was a 71.86% turnout and 70,106 votes.

In Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, 64,388 of the 105,542 eligible voters participated in the election for a turnout of 61%. One of 297 polls has not been reported yet. The riding had a turnout of 69.93% in 2019 with 72,764 votes, and in 2015 there was a 73.35% turnout with 69,939 ballots cast.

READ MORE: Justin Trudeau's Liberals win third term but fall short of securing majority

Throughout Canada, few ridings changed colour as a result of the Sept. 20 election.

In B.C., the Liberals gained four seats and the NDP gained two, while the Conservatives lost four, the Greens lost one, and the lone seat held by an independent in British Columbia was lost as Jody Wilson Raybould did not run for reelection.

The highest voter turnout in Canadian history was in the 1963 federal election when 79.2% of eligible voters showed up to cast ballots. The outcome saw Lester B. Pearson become Prime Minister by defeating John Diefenbaker.

The 2008 federal election saw the lowest turnout in Canadian history with just 58.8%, when Stephen Harper was re-elected as Prime Minister.

— This story was updated at 9:41 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 to correct the data in Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2021