With the 2013 British Columbia election coming on May 14, district electoral officer Brenda Bernat and her staff are working hard to get as many people ready to vote as possible.
With an office at 423 9th Ave. N., Bernat said there are two kinds of voting a residents will be able to do.
“This is especially applicable to people who have to be away. We have a population who live here but are not working here. Those people can phone the office at 344-3400 and request a mail-in package,” she said.
For this option people should get in touch with the office as soon as possible because the package would have to be shipped to them and returned to the office before May 14.
“The other thing they can do is drop by the office anytime and register and vote here. This is a type of voting which is not available to everyone. It is available to people who think they will not be in the area or they will not be able to get out of their home. There has to be a valid reason why they need to vote at our office,” she said.
For the general public advance voting, residents will be able to vote on May 8, 9, 10 and 11 at the Mount 7 Rec Plex. The advance voting will happen from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on those days.
General voting day will happen on May 14 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., also at the Rec Plex.
“There is something else that is very new with this election. When you get your ‘where to vote’ card, you can use that as a form of ID,” Bernat said.
People are reminded that they will need two forms of ID and people should drop by the office or check Elections BC online to confirm what identifications are acceptable.
Bernat also said it is a good idea to get on the voters list early.
“One of the reasons to register early is because it will make it much quicker when you get to the voting station,” she said.
