Elections Canada has opened an office in Powell River to assist voters. Staff at the office, located at 6820 Alberni Street, are ready to help citizens with a variety of services.
The local returning office is the hub of Elections Canada during the campaign, said Susan Friend, with Elections Canada. “The returning officer is your friend,” she said. “He or she can give you any information you require.”
Voter information cards are being mailed this week, said Friend, and voters should start looking for them next week. “The voter information card has all of the information you need,” she said. “It’s very important and a good tool for voters.”
General voting day for the federal election is Monday, May 2. There will be three advance polls for the federal election, from noon to 8 pm on Friday,
April 22, Saturday, April 23 and Monday, April 25.
The voter information card will have the dates as well as where people vote, including for the advance polls.
To vote, a person must be a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old.
People need to prove their identity and address to register and to vote. They can provide one original piece of identification issued by a government agency containing a photo, name, address and signature, such as a driver’s licence. Or they can provide two original pieces of identification that contain their name and one of which that must contain their address, such as a BC CareCard and a hydro bill.
If a person doesn’t have any of those pieces of identification, a voter may also swear an oath and be vouched for by an eligible voter who is in the same electoral district.
Anyone can vote by special ballot, said Friend. “Special ballot gives voters a lot of flexibility.”
Special ballots are for people who will be away from the riding on election day or for the advance polls, people who have difficulty getting to the polling station and people like emergency workers who never know when they are going to be called out, said Friend. “Basically, anyone who is an eligible voter can vote by special ballot.”
To vote by special ballot, a person needs to fill out an application, which is available at the returning office. A person can go to the returning office and do it all in one stop: fill out the application and then vote at the same time. Or, a returning office can either mail or fax an application form to a voter. “You can fill that in, mail it back or fax it in, and they will mail you a package.”
To vote by special ballot, a voter must fill in the application before 6 pm on Tuesday, April 26. As well, a person needs to know the name of the candidate they are voting for. After a person has registered to vote by special ballot, he or she can’t vote any other way, said Friend. If people voting by special ballot are mailing in their ballot, they must be sure their ballot will reach Elections Canada in Ottawa by 6 pm, local time, on election day.
From now until April 26, voters have an opportunity to update their information on the voters’ list or register if they are first time voters. Anyone who has moved or changed their name should contact the local returning office. “This is the time to do it,” said Friend. “Get that done as soon as possible.”
People can register or update their information when they vote, but it will take longer to cast a ballot.
The best way to update information or register is to go to the returning office. Some information can be taken over the phone, said Friend, such as a change of address.
The hours at the Powell River office are 9 am to 9 pm Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Saturday and noon to 4 pm Sunday. The phone number is 1.866.809.3316.
