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Some election info

Elections BC is out and about spreading news of an election. You should receive a card in the mail soon – if you voted last time and have not moved.

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The election period. It begins when the writ of election is issued.  A writ is a formal order signed by the Chief Electoral Officer and the Lieutenant Governor calling for an election to be held.  The day the writs are issued is called Day 0.

The election period ends on Day 50 when the writs are returned to the Chief Electoral Officer. A lot happens between Day 0 and Day 50.  In a general election, Elections BC hires more than 32,000 election and voter registration officials during this period.  It rents dozens of offices and hundreds of voting places.  It produces voters lists and oversees voting across the province, including at lighthouses, on naval ships and in corrections facilities.

Advance voting in a general election is held on Days 22 – 25; the Wednesday through Saturday the week  (May 8-11) before General Voting Day.  Anyone can vote at advance voting, so it is really convenient for people who work or go to school.

General Voting Day, the day when most people vote, falls on Day 28. (May 14th.)

The writ should be dropped around April 16th.

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Are you on the voters list? Be ready for the May 2013 General Election.

Elections BC is conducting an enumeration and updating the voters list for the May 2013 Provincial General Election. From February 25 to March 15, over 1.9 million notices will be mailed to residential addresses in B.C. These notices ask residents to register or update their voter information using Online Voter Registration or by phoning Elections BC toll-free at 1-800-661-8683. Residents may also identify the names of voters no longer living at their address and request that their name be removed from the voters list at that address (www.elections.bc.ca/remove).

In addition, from March 6 to 23, Elections BC officials will also provide voter registration opportunities at shopping malls, community centres and campuses throughout the province. During that same time period, voter registration officials will be conducting door-to-door visits in high mobility neighbourhoods, new subdivisions and residential complexes. For information about the voter registration and door-to-door activities scheduled in your area, see the map and lists of electoral districts below.

Also, during the first part of April, Elections BC officials will visit long-term care facilities and homeless shelters in the province to provide voter registration and update services. Check with your facility administrator or call Elections BC toll-free for more information.