Advance polling underway for 2018 provincial election

By Dilshad Burman

Election day is less than two weeks away, but Ontarians need not wait till June 7. In person advance voting officially began at 10 a.m. Saturday and continues till 6 p.m. on June 6.

Electronic poll books (e-poll books) and vote tabulators are being used across the province for advance voting for the first time in a provincial election in Ontario. Voters will also cast their ballot using vote tabulators.

How to vote

You can cast your ballot at an advance voting location from May 26 to May 30. Returning offices will remain open for advance polling for two more days, till June 1. All locations are open every day between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. In addition, if you are voting by special ballot or require assistive voting technology, you can vote at a returning office till 6 p.m. on June 6.

Where to vote

Where you can vote depends on where you live and is based on your current residential address. This means you are only allowed to vote at the locations assigned to you. The number of electoral districts has now increased from 107 to 124 which means your voting location may have changed. Elections Ontario provides a list of location based on your postal code. Click here to find yours.

What you need to vote

If your name and address are on the voters list, you should receive a Voter Information Card (VIC) in the mail. It contains information about your election day voting location, advance voting location, electoral district, poll number and your returning office information. Bring this as well as a piece of identification that has your name on it to your advance polling station.Officials will use e-Poll books to strike your names from the voters list before giving you your ballot.

If you are not on the voters list and do not receive a VIC, you will need to bring a piece of identification that indicates both your name as well as residential address. Originals, photocopies or electronic copies of identification documents are all acceptable as ID. Examples of ID include a driver’s license or Ontario photo card, bank or credit card statement, utility and phone bills and a T4 slip or pay stub. See below for a full list of acceptable ID.

Identification Requirements for Voting in Ontario Provincial Election

 

Declining your ballot

If you choose to decline your ballot, you are expected to tell the election official you are declining your right to vote when they hand you a ballot. This must be stated publicly, out loud. Thereafter the official will write “declined” on your election documentation. The ballot will not be placed in the ballot box but rather in a separate envelope for declined ballots. Declined ballots are counted and reported on election night and included in the official results as “declined ballots.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today