Everybody seemed to want to vote in the most recent provincial byelection in Nanaimo, but not everyone could. In this federal byelection, everyone in Nanaimo gets to vote.
The Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection will be held May 6 to choose a new member of Parliament for the riding.
In the Nanaimo provincial byelection in January, there was some confusion about constituency boundaries, as Nanaimo is a hub where three different provincial ridings meet.
Hopefully there won’t be nearly as much confusion this time around, as the Nanaimo-Ladysmith boundaries are more straightforward. Everyone who lives in the City of Nanaimo, Snuneymuxw First Nation, District of Lantzville, Town of Ladysmith and Snaw-Naw-As First Nation is eligible to vote.
The southern portion of the riding also includes the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s Area H (North Oyster-Diamond), Stz’uminus First Nation Reserve No. 13 and the Oyster Bay Indian Reserve No. 12. Also included is the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s Area G (Saltair-Gulf Islands) except for Thetis Island, Penelakut Island and a few other small islands and islets.
Note that the Regional District of Nanaimo’s Area E (Nanoose Bay) is not in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding; it is part of the Courtenay-Alberni riding.
There are probably other hints that your neighbourhood is in the riding – lawn signs are up in all areas of the city and candidates are knocking on doors in an effort to reach thousands of homes and give themselves the best chance on election day.
Now that we all know we can vote, we hope there’s the right kind of follow-through – high voter turnout.
The byelection is May 6 and advance voting takes place April 26-29. For more information about how and where to vote, see page A10 of today’s print issue of the News Bulletin or click this link.
RELATED: First Nanaimo-Ladysmith all-candidates’ meeting is today
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