Update:
New poll results released Saturday show the NDP has climbed out of second place and taken a four point lead over the Liberals in the B.C. Interior with the provincial election just three days away.
The Angus Reid poll taken May 9-10 found 41 per cent of decided voters in the region support the NDP, followed by the Liberals at 37 per cent, the B.C. Conservative Party at nine per cent and the B.C. Green Party at eight per cent.
A poll the company released May 2 had the Liberals ahead in the Interior with 42 per cent support, versus 29 per cent for the NDP.
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Depending on which election campaign pollster you believe, the Liberals have either gained some ground or pulled off a huge comeback against the NDP in the B.C. Interior.
Ipsos Reid’s latest poll released May 2 had the NDP in front in the Interior with 41 support among decided voters, clear of the Liberals at 32 per cent and B.C. Conservatives at 12 per cent.
That’s compared to an April 16 poll from them that had the NDP leading with 46 support, well ahead of the Liberals at 25 per cent and the B.C. Conservatives at 11 per cent.
Meanwhile, an Angus Reid survey released May 2 had the Liberals on top in the Interior with 42 per cent support, versus the NDP at 29 per cent and B.C. Conservatives at 14 per cent.
That’s a dramatic reversal from their April 16 poll that put the NDP in the lead with 45 per cent backing, followed by the Liberals at 19 per cent and B.C. Conservatives at 11 per cent.
Angus Reid vice-president Mario Canseco said the shift in support to the Liberals likely resulted from undecided voters giving up on the B.C. Conservatives.
“This shows, not necessarily that the NDP’s losing momentum or losing a lot of voters, but mostly the fact that a lot of people in the Interior were really hoping for a breakthrough from the B.C. Conservatives,” Canseco said.
His company’s last poll closely mirrors the local result of the 2009 election.
In the Penticton riding that year, the Liberals won 44 per cent of the popular vote, compared to 31 per cent for the NDP, 16 per cent for the Green Party and nine per cent for the B.C. Conservatives.
The Liberals came out on top in 108 of the 162 voting areas within the riding, while the NDP won 40 areas and the Greens claimed the other five. Nine other areas recorded ties or no votes.
Support for the NDP was strongest in Summerland around the downtown area and along Prairie Valley Road, and in Penticton in the residential areas that hug the downtown core.
Advance voting continues in all ridings from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. General voting is set for Tuesday. For more information visit www.elections.bc.ca or call 1-800-661-8683.