Election officials will be using this Kangaroo board to quickly and accurately count votes on Oct. 20. A demonstration video on how the counting method works has been published on the City of Medicine Hat YouTube page.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com
The first opportunity for voters in Medicine Hat to cast their ballots will be this Saturday at two advance poll locations.
Polls open at 9 a.m. at the Hockey Hounds Recreation Centre, located at 39 10th Street NE, and the Holy Family Parish, 1451 Strachan Road. Saturday’s advance polls will be open until 3 p.m.
Advance polls will open again at the same locations daily from 10 a.m to 8 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Oct. 14 to Saturday, Oct.18.
Voters must be at least 18 years old, be a Canadian citizen and reside in the local jurisdiction on election day, as outlined in the Local Authorities Election Act.
All voters must show identification, and if you are not on the list of electors your ID must contain your photo, your name and your home address.
Extra assistance will be available at advance voting stations for persons with physical disabilities.
Voters who indicated they are unable to pick up their special ballots will receive their ballot via courier during the nationwide Canada Post strike.
The city says the Elections Office has requested that voters who asked for mail delivery to switch their delivery method to ‘pickup’ when possible.
Voters are responsible for ensuring their completed special ballot arrives at the Elections Office no later than 8 p.m. on Oct. 20.
Voters can still request a special ballot for the Elections Office in person, by phone or online.
A full list of voting stations open on election day can be found on the city’s website.
Electors may also vote for either a public or separate school board trustee depending on residency and faith.
Ten polling stations will be open to voters between 10 a.m and 8 p.m. on election day and all voting stations will be fully accessible.
Kangaroo Board
During the Oct. 20 municipal election, election workers will use a custom-made Kangaroo Board to sort and tally ballots quickly and accurately.
This week the city published a video to its YouTube page demonstrating how the hand-counting method works.
The counting method, also known as a grass skirt, was born in the United Kingdom and allows a vote counter to apply 25 voting ballots to a large grid sheet of paper side by side at the exact same position. Then with a ruler the number of votes for each candidate, alphabetically, can be counted.
The city expects it will be able to accurately count, by hand, a maximum of 1,600 ballots per hour, per team.
You can watch the demonstration by visiting the City of Medicine Hat’s YouTube page.
Unofficial results are expected to be released about 2 a.m. on Oct. 21, and official results will be submitted to the press by noon on Oct. 24.
