Elections Canada has just published the preliminary estimates of voter turnout in advance polls for the three by-elections in Quebec.


Voting day is next Monday in Outremont. St. Hyacinthe-Bagot, and Roberval-Lac St. Jean.


In Roberval -- a riding where the Bloc Quebecois is playing defence -- nearly 4,000 people have already voted, according to Elections Canada estimates, with nearly a week to go until polling day. In the last general election, only 3,416 people voted in advance polls.


Advance poll turnout is also good in St. Hyacinthe, the other riding where the Bloc is playing defence. There, 3,190 have already put an 'x' beside someone's name, compared to 3,571 who did so in an advance poll in the last general election.


Calls are in to readers of political tea-leaves to see what they make of this. In Roberval, the Conservatives have high hopes of unseating the Bloc. In St. Hyacinthe, the other parties think they'll have a tough time beating the Block but the other federal parties want to have a strong second.


Meanwhile, in Outremont -- a riding that's been Liberal for a century plus -- the number of ballots already cast stand at 2,328 with a week to go, compared to 3,726 advance ballots in the last general election.
In that riding, the Liberals hope to fend off a strong challenge from the NDP.