By now everyone on your Facebook feed has posted their (legal) voting selfie, and you’re too embarrassed to admit you don’t even know where you need to go to vote. Don’t let that stop you from getting out there and casting your ballot today.
Find your voting station
Check with Elections Canada to find information about your electoral district, including the list of candidates, locations of advance and election day polling places, the address of your local Elections Canada office and a map of your electoral district.
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However, the Elections Canada website is a tad busy today. According to its Twitter feed, it is experiencing a higher than normal amount of traffic. But, it is posting a lot of information directly onto Twitter, so if you can’t access the site, you can get some key info directly on Twitter.
We’re experiencing high volumes of traffic on our website. We appreciate your patience.
— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) October 19, 2015
Getting to your polling station
Uber is offering voters free rides to polling stations on Election Day. The ride-sharing service is offering new users free rides to and from polling stations on Election Day in the cities where it operates. According to the National Post, a representative from Uber says the company will cover rides to the polling station and back again, for first-time customers only, up to $15 each way.
Can you take a voting selfie?
Yes, but no. According to Elections Canada, “The vote is secret. If people were allowed to show how they voted, it could lead to coercion (being forced to vote a certain way) or vote buying. If you’re enthusiastic about voting and want to share the experience with your friends, take a photo of yourself outside the polling place.”
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But that doesn’t mean you need to leave home without your iPhone (as if you could, right?). Voters, candidates and candidates’ representatives may use an electronic device, such as a mobile phone, in a polling place for certain purposes. For example, according to Elections Canada, voters may use their mobile device to show proof of identity and address documents issued electronically (such as e-statements or e-invoices).
Worried about leaving work to vote? Don’t be
Workers are guaranteed three hours to vote in Canada. Every Canadian has the right to demand three consecutive hours from an employer to cast their vote, according to Elections Canada. But according to CBC, don’t get too excited — there are limits. The rules do not guarantee all workers get three hours off the job on Oct. 19.
Employers must simply enable employees to have three hours minimum on Monday to get to polling stations and mark their ballots.
OK, voting completed. Now what?
You’ll want to watch by-the-minute election night coverage.
CBC has an election coverage live results page. You can personalize your election night on its live results page. Bookmark the ridings you want to follow, watch live video dedicated to each major party, and see full results for every riding, party and candidate in the country. The site allows you to see leading, elected and vote totals for every party in Canada as live results and vote totals for every party in every riding in Canada.
LIVE #elxn42 results throughout the day/night -> @CBCNews has built a customizable tool: http://t.co/pS8klE9G8opic.twitter.com/Pflv8SXbAz
— CBC (@CBC) October 19, 2015
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