Canadian elections and their process

[artislife]

http://www.elections.ca/home.aspx


Different ways you can vote.

You can vote on the day, October 19th
Polls are open for 12 hours.

If you're registered, you will get a voter information card by mail. It tells you when and where to vote. You should have received it by October 1. You can also use the online Voter Information Service to find out where to vote.

They have what is called advanced polls where you can vote from the 9th through the 12th.

There are four advance voting days. Polls are open from noon to 8:00 p.m.

Friday, October 9
Saturday, October 10
Sunday, October 11
Monday, October 12
Your voter information card tells you the address of your advance polling place. You can also find it in the Voter Information Service.

Or any office!!

Vote at one of 400 Elections Canada offices

If you find it more convenient, you can vote at any Elections Canada office across Canada.

Visit the office before the deadline of Tuesday, October 13 at 6:00 p.m. Offices are open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., except for Saturday, October 17, when they will be opened from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Bring your proof of identity and address.

Find the Elections Canada office nearest you.

or you can vote by mail.

If you will be travelling outside your riding, or if you find it more convenient, you can vote by mail – apply now.

Apply as soon as possible, to allow time for your voting kit to reach you and for your marked ballot to reach Elections Canada by election day.

I get the feeling that the country of Canada thinks it is a good thing to have it's citizens actually vote.

Damn, they are serious about this thing. Oh and Huff Canada is saying that the voting so far is off the hook. Harper is probably long gone.

[Electric Monk]

1. Also, their campaign periods are measured in weeks, not years

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Canada#Length_of_election_campaigns

In terms of days from writ to election day, the longest campaign was that of 1980 election, which lasted 66 days. The 2015 election, currently taking place, is 78 days long from writ to election day, making it the longest campaign for a one-day election, exceeding in length only by that of 1872.

Prior to the adoption of the minimum of 36 days in law, there were six elections that lasted shorter periods of time. The last of these was the 1904 election which occurred many decades before the minimum was imposed.

In practice, the Prime Minister will generally keep a campaign as brief as is legal and/or feasible, because spending by parties is strictly limited by the Elections Act. The maximum spending by each party is increased by 1/37th of the maximum for each day that the campaign exceeds 37 days. The 1997, 2000 and 2004 elections were all of the minimum 36 days in length which has led to a common misconception that elections must be 36 days long. However, prior to 1997, elections averaged much longer: aside from the 47 day campaign for the 1993 election, the shortest election period after World War II was 57 days and many were over 60 days in length.

[artislife]

2. I have been in two other countries during their elections

England and Mexico.

Mexico was the best . Their ads were---Vote in the elections. That's it. No partisan ads, nothing.

England was also not too stifling. I remember a handful of parties and lots of bills pasted on the walls...but not much else.


We need money out of campaigns and we need a shorter campaign season. But if we got the money out, I think the season would be shorter.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. I voted in my first Canadian election yesterday.

This campaign by Canadian standards has also been ridiculously long, the Conservatives wanted to try running the other parties out of money.

[Fred Sanders]

4. Bet Harper is regretting calling the longest campaign in history because he thought the more money

he and his corporate sponsors had would help them...but all it did was give more time for the unCanadian RW stupidity and bigotry to become more clear to more voters.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-hold-on-to-lead-in-latest-poll-as-election-approaches/article26766419/

[Mr.Squirreleo]

5. Cant wait for the commercials to stop

On a more serious note, we require id up here to vote.

Yet it never seems to work right in the US, can never figure out why.

[artislife]

6. Serious questions

Do you have any voter irregularities...like voters being thrown off the voting rolls?
Do you have gerrymandering?
If you have committed a felonous crime, do you lose your voting rights forever?

[laundry_queen]

7. I'll try

Anyone can vote - even if they aren't registered, so no one technically gets thrown off the rolls. If you are a citizen 18 years and older and have your id, you can vote.

No blatant gerrymandering - I do believe the law says only non partisan independent panels can decide where the borders of each riding are drawn. Here is what wikipedia says:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_district_(Canada)#Boundary_review.

And felons can vote. Even in prison.

HTH!

[artislife]

8. I never understood losing your right to vote because of a crime

If you did the time, you made amends to the community. Even if you are still serving, you are paying the community back.


Canada, they should come down here and make sure we have free elections.