Cariboo-Prince George voters can cast their ballots in the federal election as early as Friday, April 18,
Advance voting continues on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (April 19-21) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Electors must vote only at their assigned polling place. This is different from the process in some provincial elections, where electors can vote at any polling location.
Voters can find the address for their assigned polling station on the back of their voter information card, by visiting elections.ca or by calling 1-800-463-6868.
Polls in the Newfoundland time zone will close at 4 p.m. Pacific time, in the Atlantic time zone polls close at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, Eastern, Central and Mountain time zone polls close at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time. That means there's a slim chance we know who will form the next government by the time polls close in most of B.C.
Voters have several options to prove who they are when they get to the polling place:
The first is to have one piece of ID like a driver's license, with the person's name, photo and address. Another option is to bring two pieces of identification that don't meet that criteria as long as both have the voter's name and one has an address. This can include a bank card or utility bill and voter card. The third option is to have someone who can prove their identity vouch for the voter. The person vouching must have the same voting location and be able to prove their own identity and address. People can only vouch for one voter, with the exception of at long-term care facilities.
Un-housed people who wish to vote but don't have someone to vouch for them can still do so. If they receive a letter of confirmation of residence from a place like a shelter, soup kitchen or community-based residential facility as proof of an address they can use that, along with a piece of ID like a birth certificate or health card, citizens without homes can still cast a ballot.
Seniors in long-term care facilities may be able to access a mobile polling station at the facility, they have similar options to other voters but can be vouched for by employees of their facilities as long as the employee lives in the same riding or a neighbouring one. Staff at long-term care facilities have the ability to vouch for multiple residents of the facility.
Another early-voting option is to vote at any Elections Canada office by April 22 at 6 p.m. The locations in the riding can be found online. The offices are open seven days a week: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
Residents can also vote by mail using the special ballot process. The deadline to apply to vote by special ballot is Tuesday, April 22, and the marked ballot must be returned by election day – Monday, April 28.
Visit the Elections Canada website to apply to vote by mail.
Candidates running in Cariboo-Prince George are:
- New Democrat Angie Bonazzo
- Green candidate Jodie Capling
- Conservative Todd Doherty
- Liberal Clinton Emslie
- People's Party candidate Rudy Sans
- Independent Kenneth Thomson
- Christian Heritage Party candidate Jake Wiens
