Ontario election to officially begin Wednesday, to be held on June 2

Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell has officially accepted Premier Doug Ford’s recommendation to dissolve provincial legislature as of 4 p.m., signalling the start of the election period.

The writs for the provincial election willl be signed by Dowdeswell Wednesday and the election will be held on June 2.

On his way in to meet with Dowdeswell, Ford said people will have “a very clear choice” on election day.

Politicians have already been unofficially campaigning for weeks, with two out of the three major parties having released their platforms.

Polls at this point suggest the Progressive Conservatives are poised for re-election, with the third-place Liberals potentially overtaking the NDP to form the official Opposition.

Even though the vote is set for June 2, Elections Ontario is encouraging residents to vote early this year in the hopes of thinning polling station crowds amid the pandemic.

When voters show up on election day, they will see floor signage for physical distancing, Plexiglas screens, hand sanitizer and masks available – face coverings won’t be required of voters or staff but will be supplied for those who want one.

But for those who want to avoid that, there will be 10 days of advanced voting, up from five, and Elections Ontario has a new online process to apply for a mail-in ballot.

Elections Ontario has also launched a new app, which will let voters map their poll locations, see candidate information, options on ways to vote and get notifications when a new candidate is registered. It also provides an electronic version of the voter information card, complete with barcode.