With election day here voters in N.W.T. can head to their assigned polling station or drop off their special ballot anytime from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. MT. tonight.
Curtis Coleman, who is with Elections Canada, will be working at one of the polling stations.
“I think it’ll be fun,” said Coleman.”There is a lot of excitement building.”
“It’s going to be busy. I think we have six polls tomorrow here at St. Joe’s. And I think it’ll be busy, but maybe not as busy as I thought originally, with over seven million advanced poll voters in the past last week,” Coleman told True North FM.
Last week, Elections Canada reported that 7.3 million people across the country voted at advance polls, a 25 per cent increase from the previous federal election. According to Elections Canada, a preliminary count shows that 3,631 advanced poll ballots were cast in N.W.T. last week.
During the last federal election, about 25 per cent of N.W.T. voters cast their ballots at an advanced poll. Of the 14,250 voters from N.W.T. who cast a ballot in 2021, 3,499 of them opted to visit an advanced poll.
Diane Benson, who is a rep for Elections Canada, told True North FM that anyone casting a ballot today (April 28), has to vote at their assigned polling station. Special ballots can be dropped off at any Elections Canada office.
“There will be 39 voting locations across the NWT (each location may have more than one polling desk inside but there are 39 locations),” Diane Benson, a rep for Elections Canada, told True North FM.
“We don’t provide addresses for these because electors have to go to the poll assigned according to their address. It’s on the Voter Information Card or they can enter their postal code on the search in our website,” explained Benson. Stations will be open 12 hours on election day. If you are casting your vote in N.W.T. the polls will generally be open between 7:30 am to 7:30 pm Mountain Time. If you are casting your vote from a different part of the country, you can check the Voting Hours page on the Elections Canada site..
The quickest way to find your assigned polling station is to head to the Elections Canada Voter Information Service page and enter your postal code and address or call 1-800-463-6868.
Benson explained that when registered voters get to a polling station, they will have three options to prove their identity and address.
Acceptable forms of identification can be a driver’s licence or other government-issued photo identification card showing your name and current address. Alternatively, you can bring two pieces of ID showing your name along with one form of ID showing your address.
If you don’t have those types of identification on hand, there are still ways to cast a ballot in the 45th federal election.
Eligible voters can declare their identity and address in writing and will need to be accompanied by someone who can vouch for them (that person must also be assigned to the same polling station).
“If you have no ID, you can have someone from the same polling station who had ID, vouch for you,” explained Benson.
Information on the Elections Canada site says that the person who vouches for you must be able to prove their own identity and address.
Not sure if you are registered under your current address? You can head to the Elections Canada Online Voter Registration Service.
Benson confirmed that polling stations that are wheelchair accessible will be available. You can check the accessibility status of your polling location by filling in your postal code on the Voter Information Service Page.
Benson said that polling stations will also be set up in long-term care facilities for residents of care homes who would like to vote.
Elections Canada asks that ballots be returned by mail on the deadline written on their voting kit or returned to an Elections Canada office (before the polls close on election day).
To find an Elections Canada office, you can head to the Elections Canada Voter Information Service Page or call 1-800-463-6868..
In the city of Yellowknife, the main Elections Canada office is located on 5019 52nd St.
