Our political panel on the CBC Morning Show was a bit of fun. Thanks to former Premier Tom Rideout and Dr. Holly Pike for putting up with me and, of course, our host and moderator Bernice Hillier. (I’ll link to the podcast version when available)
About halfway through, the subject of special ballots came up. It’s a subject which regular readers know tends to elevate my blood pressure a wee bit. One of my co-panelists suggested that federal special ballots weren’t much different as you only had to write in the name of the party for whom you were voting for.
Incorrect.
According to the Elections Canada website, that is specifically not the case. See bullet #2 below.
To vote under the Special Voting Rules, electors other than Canadian Forces electors and incarcerated electors must:
- register to vote by special ballot no later than 6:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before polling day
- in the case of an election, obtain the names of the candidates in his or her electoral district (in an election, the elector completes the special ballot by writing the name of the chosen candidate (not the name of the political party); in a referendum, each referendum question is printed on a separate ballot and the elector checks off “yes” or “no”)
- in the case of an elector voting by special ballot outside the electoral district of his or her ordinary residence, ensure that the completed ballot arrives at Elections Canada in Ottawa no later than 6:00 p.m., Ottawa time, on polling day
- in the case of an elector voting in his or her electoral district, ensure that the returning officer for that district receives the completed ballot before the close of the polls in the electoral district on polling day
