Peter Beckett, district electoral officer for Boundary-Similkameen, is overseeing the mechanics of voting throughout the riding. Osoyoos residents can vote at the Sonora Community Centre any day from Wednesday, May 3 until General Election Day on Tuesday, May 9, with the exceptions of Sunday and Monday. (Richard McGuire photo)
As the provincial election campaign enters its final week, there are still several options for those wondering when and where to vote.
General Voting Day is Tuesday, May 9 and for residents of Osoyoos, you can vote between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the Sonora Community Centre.
For those wanting to vote in advance, the polls are also open at the Sonora Centre from Wednesday, May 3 to Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Those who are away from home and regularly reside in another part of B.C. can cast a write-in ballot at the District Electoral Office at 8322 Main Street in Osoyoos. Local residents are also eligible to vote by write-in.
For a write-in vote, you receive a blank ballot and must write the name of the candidate you wish to vote for.
That office is normally open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday as well as from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on any day when advance voting or general voting is taking place at the Sonora Centre. It is closed this Sunday, May 7.
Voting at this office is only permitted up to 4 p.m. on General Voting Day.
To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, 18 or older as of May 9. You also must have been a resident of B.C. for the past six months.
Voters must prove their identity and residential address before they can vote. Usually this means one piece of identification with both a photo and address such as a driver’s license or B.C. Services Card, but it can be two separate documents.
A list of acceptable documents can be found on the Elections BC website at www.elections.bc.ca.
For those who don’t have acceptable identification, the option of “vouching” is also available.
The person vouching for the voter must provide identification and make a solemn declaration confirming the voter’s identity and residential address. They must also be a registered voter in the voter’s electoral district or a close adult relative or caregiver.
Further details about who can vouch can be found on the Elections BC website.
Voters in Boundary-Similkameen can vote for one of the following four candidates, whose names appear in alphabetical order by last name on the ballot:
Dr. Peter Entwistle (independent), Linda Larson (Liberal), Vonnie Lavers (Green) and Colleen Ross (NDP).
Voters are entitled to four consecutive hours free from work to vote on General Voting Day. This doesn’t necessarily mean four hours off work, but it does mean there must be a four-hour period free from work during voting hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Time off may be at the beginning or end of an employee’s shift and employers can decide when employees can take time off to vote.
For more details of this provision, visit: www.elections.bc.ca.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
