In the midst of planning the June 2 provincial election, the province’s chief electoral officer has a few key points he’s eager to share with the public to make their voting experience run smoothly.
The hiring of staff is ongoing, the number of advance voting days has doubled to 10, registering to vote is a quick process that helps streamline voting and there’s a new app that can help.
Greg Essensa shared these points with Sudbury.com on Friday shortly after meeting with approximately 75 returning officers and key staff from area electoral districts at the Holiday Inn on Regent Street.
Although key staff have already been hired, he said many more election staff members will need to be hired in advance of the June 2 election date.
“One of the things that we certainly saw during the federal election was a challenge in some electoral districts getting staffing,” he said. “We know on election day we need somewhere in excess of 55,000 folks to work for us.”
All positions are paid, and Essensa said the main requirement for most positions, including working the polls and issuing the ballots, include a Canadian citizenship and that the applicant be at least 18 years of age. That said, some positions are available to 16- and 17-year-olds.
“We have a variety of different opportunities, so if someone’s interested in working for us, then by all means we encourage them to sign up,” he said, urging those keen on working with Elections Ontario to apply as soon as possible in the event positions fill up.
They’ll be hiring until a few days before the election itself, but Essensa said positions in Greater Sudbury aren’t as difficult to fill as in some other areas, such as Southern Ontario, so applying early is key. Application information can be found by clicking here.
To ensure all voters have the latest information Essensa encourages people to make sure their voter registration information is correct by clicking here and to consider downloading the new Elections Ontario app by clicking here.
Approximately 90 per cent of Ontarians are already registered properly with up-to-date addresses, but for the 10 per cent who aren’t, registering helps get useful information to them about the election as soon as possible.
Voter cards contain important information such as advance polling dates and locations, as well as pertinent information about election day itself. It also cuts down on the time to vote, although those who aren’t registered can always register at their polling station the day of.
Elections Canada draws from an array of sources for its voter registration data, such as the Canada Revenue Agency data and driver’s licence information, and he said that for the majority of people who log on to check their information, it’s simply a matter of confirming accurate information.
The Elections Ontario app contains voting information, as well as things about the candidates running in each riding and other pertinent information for voters. It also has options for how the recipient wishes to receive election-related news.
In the days leading up to the June 2 election date itself, there will be 10 days of advance voting, which is a doubling of the last provincial election’s five days. Also unlike the last election, when the full five days’ advance polling had to be at the same location, polling stations can move around to different locations throughout the 10-day period.
This will allow polling stations to be set up in more areas with lower population densities, Essensa said, which should help make voting more accessible.
The same tried and true paper ballot system used in the last election will be deployed this time around alongside electronic tabulators which, last time, allowed the media to call the election within 14 minutes of the polling stations closing, Essensa said.
“We want to make it as easy as possible to exercise your democratic right.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.