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Fewer Canadians voted in advance polls during this election campaign than in 2006 in virtually every part of the country – except Quebec.

Preliminary estimates released by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on Tuesday show that 1,459,253 electors voted in advance polls between Oct. 3 and Oct. 6. The 2006 election drew 1,561,039 advance voters.

Advance turnout dropped in virtually every province and territory this year. The lone exceptions were in Yukon – where about 250 more voters showed up – and Quebec, where voter turnout jumped about 16 per cent, to 437,891 from 376,724 in 2006.

Ned Franks, a constitutional expert and professor emeritus at Queen's University, said he could only speculate about the surge in Quebec, but added that larger advance turnout usually translates to higher turnout on election day, and that isn't usually a good thing for the government.

“The incumbent always benefits from a low turnout,” he said.

Since the beginning of the election campaign, opinion polls have been like the outline of a roller coaster in Quebec. In the first few weeks, the Conservatives appeared on track for a majority government, largely on the strength of a favourable surge in the province. Today, that surge is all but gone, thanks in part to a negative response to Conservative arts cuts and a proposed crime bill that would impose tougher sentences on young offenders.

Quebec is traditionally home to the second-highest advance poll turnout, behind Ontario. In Ontario, 575,605 voters cast their ballots in advance in the past few days, compared with 651,697 in 2006.

Elections Canada spokesman James Hale said the organization isn't concerned by the drop in advance poll voters across much of the country, and pointed to a number of significant differences between the 2006 and 2008 election campaigns.

The 2006 campaign, Mr. Hale said, was held in the dead of winter, which may have led more Canadians to vote in advance rather than take a chance on the election day weather. The 2006 election campaign was also particularly long, stretching across the winter holidays.

By comparison, voting day this year will likely be warmer than in 2006 and the campaign is just a little longer than the bare minimum allowed by law.

Prof. Franks said this election campaign is interesting in that the likely result appears to become less clear as it moves forward.

“Normally by this close to election date, [the results] don't change too much,” he said. “That means that, in an awful lot of ridings, every vote will count.”