A poll worker helps a voter during the first day of advance voting in the 44th Canadian General Election on Friday at the Medicine Hat Lodge. Advance polls will remain open until Monday. General voting takes place at various polling stations throughout the riding on Sept. 20.--News Photo Collin Gallant
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Voting is underway in the 44th general election with advance voting locations in Medicine Hat doing a brisk business on Friday morning, according to local officials.
The four-day period for advanced voting is underway across the country, and will end Monday.
In Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner voters are choosing from six candidates.
“It is hard to project, but we’ve heard from some locations that they are already busy and some had lineups when they opened,” said returning officer Stella Lukinski, adding that all voters will be accommodated in a reasonable amount of time.
Provincial masking rules and Elections Canada policy regarding physical distancing are being observed, said Lukinski, but the process seems to be working well, and electors are not seeing long waits.
She also told the News that administrators are increasingly busy fielding requests for special ballots.
General voting will take place at various locations throughout the riding on Sept. 20. Voters are asked to double check voting locations on registration cards that should arrive by mail this week. Many traditional voting locations are not being used this year to avoid bringing large numbers of the general public into schools. Elections Canada is renting alternative space. Locations and voter ID requirements can also be found on the Elections Canada website.
Special ballots may be requested until the end of business on Sept. 14 at the Elections Canada offices in either Medicine Hat (571 S. Railway St.) or Cardston (located at the Pharmasave location at 71 Second Ave. W.)
A total of 53,356 ballots were cast in the riding in the 2019 general election, equating to about 65% voter turnout.
Turnout in the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner riding was 44.5% in the 2016 byelection, and 65.2% in the 2015 general election, which was the first conducted in its current configuration.
I took the opportunity to use the advance voting on Friday and was so disgusted that there were several people NOT masked. I just don’t get it, they put all the people volunteering their time at risk, as well as all the other voters. Before you all start yelling at me that I could have mailed in my vote, that is actually what those that refuse to put on a mask should have done!!
I took the opportunity to use the advance voting on Friday and was so disgusted that there were several people NOT masked. I just don’t get it, they put all the people volunteering their time at risk, as well as all the other voters. Before you all start yelling at me that I could have mailed in my vote, that is actually what those that refuse to put on a mask should have done!!