The day has finally arrived - election day, that is! It's your chance to have your voice heard and
vote for the candidate you think will best represent you, your
community, and your province. But what does a voter do on election
day?
In order to vote, you must visit a polling place . Polling places are located within your constituency to make it convenient for everyone to vote. Polling places are open
from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. so that you can vote after work or at a time
that's convenient for you.
If you will be unable to vote on election
day, you can vote in an advance
poll . Advance polls are open from 9
a.m. to 8 p.m. on each of the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the
full week preceding election day. If you are in a treatment centre
or a senior's lodge, a mobile poll may be set up for you to vote
there.
When you arrive at the polling place, you
must register with the polling place officials. If you are voting at
your assigned polling place, you will be required to give your name
and address to the official so they can record that you have voted.
This also prevents one person from voting more than once. If you are
not on the voting list, you must produce two forms of identification
and sign the Oath of Elector before you can vote.
The polling place official will instruct
you to proceed to one of the polling booths and with the marker
provided, mark the ballot by placing an "X" in the circle
opposite the name of the selected candidate. They will also ask you
to refold the ballot so the initials of the Deputy Returning Officer
can be seen without it. Then you must return the ballot to the
Deputy Returning Officer (DRO), who will check to ensure this is the same
ballot given to you. The DRO will then place the ballot in the
ballot box for you. You may not deposit it yourself.
After that, your duty is done! You leave
the polling place and congratulate yourself for being an active
citizen!
For more information about voting
procedure and rules, consult the Election Act available at
the Queen's
Printer Bookstore .