The “writ” was dropped on April 16, with everyone in the media and politics using the term like a household word, but do we all really know what a writ is?
It may be a traditional word, but if we are going to use it today, should we not at least make sure everyone actually knows what it means?
I mean, obviously we know it means the election is official and campaigns can begin in earnest, but what exactly is a “writ”?
According to the Parliament of Canada website, a writ in relation to an election is: “a formal written order instructing the returning officer in each electoral district to hold an election to elect a Member of Parliament (in the case of the B.C. election, it will be to elect a Member of the Legislature).”
Blah blah blah, there was even more to the definition, but I probably already lost some with the short version, the long one would have stopped most in their tracks.
In essence, the writ is the official document which dissolves the current government and marks the beginning of the official election campaigns to form the new government.
While it may seem as though the campaign has been underway for some time, in actual fact, there have beens some rules dictating what political parties could do and how much they could spend. Once the writ is dropped, parties have much higher spending limits on their campaigns and those sitting in the legislature in Victoria can now dedicate themselves full-time to the campaign trail.
So buckle up Nechako Lakes, here come the candidates, campaign promises and clever ads. May you all be inspired by something in their campaigns to get out and vote.
In order to do so, all a person needs is to do is register by April 23 to make it easy, or just bring in proper identification to register on the spot.
Voting can take place anytime between April 16 and May 14 election day, with advance polls running for those who know they will be unable to make the May 14 polls.
If a person is away for even longer, they can simply send in a request for a mail-in ballot and mail it back, as long as it reaches them in time, your vote still counts.
