Early voters in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding can cast their ballots this weekend.
Advance polling stations will be open Sept. 10-13 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In 100 Mile House, voters can cast their ballots at the Elections Canada office at the former Firehouse Diner, 231 Birch Ave., while those in Clinton can go to the 47 Mile Sports Complex, 1417 Government St.
Candidates running for the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo seat include Conservatives’ Frank Caputo, NDP’s Bill Sundhu, Liberals Jesse McCormick, the Greens’ Iain Currie, Corally Delwo for the People’s Party of Canada and independent Bob O’Brien. (See candidates’ Q&A A18-20).
Andrea Marantz, Elections Canada’s B.C. spokesperson, advises those looking to vote this year to plan ahead and check to make sure they’re registered on elections.ca. Voters should have received their voter information cards by mail this week and should contact the local Elections Canada office if they haven’t arrived. Those looking to vote must be Canadian citizens over 18 and have their voter identification cards or ID with proof of address.
Those who want to avoid the polls can also vote by mail or cast a special ballot at any Election Canada office, as long as registration takes place before Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. Registration can be done online via elections.ca or by contacting any Elections Canada office, which will mail an election kit to your address.
“Voting by mail is proving quite popular during this federal election, understandably, for people who are concerned about the pandemic and don’t want to go to the polling place,” Marantz said. “It’s also a good option for people who are going to be away from home or people who have been evacuated by wildfires or concerned about the possibility of that.”
All mail-in ballots must be received by Sept. 20 to be counted.
Voting at any Elections Canada office is also an option if you cannot go to your assigned polling station during advance polls or on election day. These offices are open seven days a week, and you can vote at one until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Voting on election day (Sept. 20) is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about how and where to vote, go to the Elections Canada website at https://www.elections.ca/.