For those who missed the advance polls and didn’t vote by special ballot, there is only one option left – to vote on Election Day on Monday.
There was heavy turnout at the advance polls from Friday to Monday. As of this past Tuesday at 6 p.m., it was no longer possible to vote at the Elections Canada office on Main Street in Osoyoos.
Voters in South Okanagan-West Kootenay (SOWK) will choose from five candidates listed alphabetically on the ballot by last name: Richard Cannings (NDP), Connie Denesiuk (Liberal), Brian Gray (independent), Marshall Neufeld (Conservative) and Samantha Troy (Green).
Voters should have received a card in the mail from Elections Canada confirming they are registered to vote and indicating the location of their polling station.
Those who have not received a card should check with the Elections Canada office or on the Elections Canada website to find out if they are registered, said Peter Beckett, assistant returning officer based in the office at 8322 Main Street in Osoyoos.
“There’s a possibility that Canada Post diverted their card and it went astray,” he said. “Or there’s a possibility that they’re not registered. Even if they have been registered in the past, it’s entirely possible for whatever reason that they ended up being deleted from the list and we need to get them back on.”
In addition to the Osoyoos office, the main office of Returning Officer Roberta Post is located at Penticton Plaza at Suite 413, 1301 Main Street in Penticton.
Beckett said residents who are not registered will now need to do it on Election Day at their voting location. There will be registration officers at each voting location.
Most residents of Osoyoos and area will vote at the Sonora Community Centre, while Oliver residents vote at Oliver Community Hall.
There are a few exceptions. Voters in residential care facilities such as Mariposa Gardens will be visited by a team that will conduct the vote at the site. Residents with Oliver addresses who live on the Osoyoos Indian Band reserve will vote at the Osoyoos Indian Band community centre.
The dividing line between those with Osoyoos addresses voting in Osoyoos and those with Oliver addresses voting in Oliver is Road 22, Beckett said.
Osoyoos also serves voters living west of town as far as Richter Pass, which is the dividing line between SOWK and the neighbouring riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola, which includes Keremeos.
To the east of Osoyoos, the Sonora Community Centre serves residents of Anarchist Mountain and as far east as Sidley Mountain. Residents of Bridesville and eastward, however, vote in Rock Creek, Beckett said.
Voting hours throughout B.C. in the Pacific Time zone are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Beckett advises people that the busiest times are usually after the polls first open and before they close. Those wishing to avoid lineups may have better luck in the middle of the day.
“One of the things that often frustrates people is long lineups,” he said. “That midday stretch from about 10 a.m. through until about 2:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. is usually when you can move through a little more rapidly.”
The polls start getting busier when people get off work starting at around 4 p.m. until the polls close, he said.
Those who arrive before the voting location closes at 7 p.m., but are in line when the station closes, will still be allowed to vote, Beckett said.
Anybody waiting outside will be brought inside when the doors are closed, he said.
“It’s not uncommon in a place like the Sonora Centre for us to wrap up by 7:30 or 7:45 just to process all the people who were inside,” he added.
Voting places typically serve a number of different polls and you must vote at the one for your address. Your voting card identifies your poll number, but an information officer will direct you to the right one when you arrive.
People must prove their identity and address to vote. The voter registration card is not acceptable as identification.
Only one piece of identification is required for those showing a driver’s license, provincial ID card or any other government card with a photo, name and current address.
Those without one of these cards must show two pieces of ID. At least one of these must show the voter’s address, but photo ID is not necessary.
The Elections Canada website lists more than 50 pieces of identification that may be used for one of these two pieces. They include health cards, passports, birth certificates, citizenship certificates, social insurance cards, Indian status cards, old age security cards, library cards, blood donor cards and firearms licenses.
To prove the voter’s address, bank statements, credit card statements, residential leases, property tax assessments and insurance documents are among the numerous documents that are accepted.
In the 2011 election, a number of Canadians received automated telephone calls telling them their polling stations had been moved. A former Conservative staffer was subsequently sentenced to nine months imprisonment for this fraud.
Beckett advises that if anyone receives a phone call or a robocall informing them that their polling station has moved they should contact Elections Canada immediately. Such a call would definitely be fraudulent, he said.
“Get out and vote,” Beckett urges. “It sounds preachy, but by gosh it’s something people fight for all over the world. Let’s use it.”
For further information, the Elections Canada website is at www.elections.ca.
The Osoyoos Elections Canada office may be reached toll free at 1-866-754-5432. The Penticton Office is at 1-866-546-7622.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Richard Cannings, NDP
Connie Denesiuk, Liberal (Photo supplied)
Brian Gray, independent
Marshall Neufeld., Conservative (Photo supplied)
Green Party candidate Samantha Troy (Photo supplied)
