Make sure your voice is heard on Oct. 19
Photo: Kim Weins
What’s going on?
Canada’s federal election will be taking place on Oct. 19.
Millennial voters, of which students are a large part, represent over 20 per cent of the population. Every vote is important, especially since this election is shaping up to be one of the closest in recent history.
Am I registered to vote?
The first step to voting is to make sure you’re registered. If you’re not sure if you’re registered or not, you can find out easily on the Elections Canada website. Just go to ereg.elections.ca.
If you’re not registered, you can do so at ereg.elections.ca, or through your local Elections Canada office. The deadline for registering this way is Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. You can also register before voting at a polling station.
Dude, where’s my address?
Many students are living away from home, and don’t know which address to use. If you’re already registered, check ereg.elections.ca to see where, especially if you’ve moved recently. If you’re not registered, you can choose whichever location you consider your home.
Voting on-campus
Regardless of your address, if you’re a U of O student you can vote early and on campus. Elections Canada will have two offices at the U of O, they will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Oct. 5 to Oct. 8.
One will be in room 12102 in Desmarais, 55 Laurier Avenue, and one in room 140 of the Residential Complex, 90 University Private.
If you live on campus, you can vote on campus on elections day, Oct. 19, or on any of the advance polling days—Oct. 9, 10, 11, or 12. If you don’t live on campus, you cannot vote there on these dates. The polling station for these dates may not be the same as the offices from Oct. 5-8, but is likely to be in a residence building.
Voting off-campus
If you live at home or off campus, and can’t make it to the Elections Canada offices on Campus from Oct. 5-8, you can use the Elections Canada website, ereg.elections.ca, to determine your riding, and vote at a polling station there.
You will receive a voting card in the mail on Oct. 1, which will also tell you where you can vote, and the hours your polling station is open.
If you’re studying abroad, you can vote by mail.
Can I see some ID?
In order to vote, you need identification.
Firstly, you need to bring the voting card that you receive in the mail on Oct. 1.
You also need ID with your name and the address of the riding you’re voting in. You can use a provincial ID or a driver’s license. If you don’t have one or it has the wrong address, you can use your student ID card paired with a letter from the university that contains your name and address, among a variety of other options found at elections.ca under ID to vote.
Still not sure?
If you want more information, check out the Elections Canada website, elections.ca
