TORONTO – Ontarians will go to the polling stations for the provincial elections on Thursday 27 February, from 9am to 9pm. Let’s see in more detail how voting “works”.
First of all, anyone who is 18 years old, lives in Ontario and has Canadian citizenship can vote. Each of these people should have received Voter Information Cards (VICs) from Elections Ontario that have been mailed – to all registered voters – during the week of February 17. Registered voters can still access the digital voter information card at any time, which can be scanned via the Elections Ontario app (downloadable here).
However, you do not need to have a VIC to vote. If you are a Canadian citizen and resident in Ontario and turned 18 on February 27, you are eligible to vote: if you are not yet registered, you can still vote by registering in person at your local elections office or at your designated polling station on Election Day. And how is your polling station located? On the web: to locate it, simply use the appropriate “Voter Information Service” on the Elections Ontario website (to reach the service directly, click here).
However, to vote you need a valid ID that shows, in the absence of a Voter Information Card, your name and home address, and you can also use an electronic copy of your ID that can be printed or viewed on a mobile device such as a mobile phone. Acceptable identification documents include most documents issued by the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario or an Ontario municipality and can range from a driver’s license to an insurance statement, but international identification documents are not accepted. The full list of acceptable forms of identification can be found on the Elections Ontario website (to access the list directly, click here).
Those who have recently moved but have not yet updated their address with Elections Ontario, can do it when they go to vote on Election Day.
Those who do not have a permanent address – such as the homeless – are still entitled to vote, even without an identity document: in this case you must provide a residence form provided by the administrator of the shelter, food bank or community health facility you are using most often.
Anyone who has decided to vote by post (it was necessary to apply by February 21st) should have already received a voting kit at home with a ballot which will have to be returned – voted – to Elections Ontario by 6pm on Thursday 27th February, so that the vote can be counted.
However, online voting is not foreseen.
Anyone who cannot go to vote in person (for example for health reasons) can request to vote via a home visit but must contact the local electoral office before 6pm on 26 February.
Yesterday, meanwhile, the electoral campaign continued with appeals to vote for the various leaders and parties (here the complete list of all the candidates). The last “shots” before Election Day.
Photo: Elections Ontario
