After weeks of endless arguing, debating, name calling, bickering, posturing, pleading and pretending, it's all come down to this: Election Day in the province of Ontario. Whether you've given this race intense scrutiny or merely passing notice, you should still get out and vote. What do you need to do that? Here's a look at the requirements.
The Hours
Polls will be open from 9am-9pm, so you should have plenty of time. Under the law, you must be given three consecutive hours from work to vote. But unless you pull a 12-hour day, you may not want to leave early. If you have a traditional 9-5 shift, that means you would still have those hours after you're officially finished, so you won't be able to leave before your shift is up.
For more on what the law says about this,
click here.
Voter I.D.
First, the basics. You have to be 18, a resident of Ontario and a Canadian citizen to cast a vote. But getting that ballot isn't as easy as it once was. Laws that allowed you to just bring a utility bill to prove your I.D. have changed. This time around, security is tighter, and you'll need a valid proof of identity at the polling place. What's "valid" and what isn't? Anything that shows the big three: your name, your home address and your signature. Your driver's license will do. So will your health card or an insurance policy. But you can't use just your passport, because the government didn't print your address on it.
Or you can use a combination of other documents that combines those big three, like a credit card, a cancelled personal cheque, or your property tax assessment.
Elections Ontario has divided them all into three lists, called A,B and C.
Check them out here.
You should also bring your voter's card that you got in the mail, although that isn't good enough to act as your sole I.D.
Who's Running In My Riding And How Will I Know Who They Represent?
If you've waited this long to figure this out, it's late - but it's still not too late. You can find a list of every candidate in your riding
here.
Not sure of your riding? They've got that covered, too, by
clicking here.
As for which person goes with which party, unlike past years, the ballot will tell you so there's no mistake. The name of each party will be right beside the name of their candidate so you can't be mistaken about who you're picking.
Where Do I Vote?
Your polling place is listed on the card you received in the mail. If you didn't get one or still aren't sure where it is, you can find it
here, or call
(416) 326-6300 or
1-888-668-8683 for help.
What About The Referendum?
It's the first one in Ontario in eight decades - and it could be that long before there's another one, so you're encouraged take part in this rare bit of history. You'll actually be given two ballots - one for the candidate of your choice in your riding and the other asking you this question:
Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?
-The existing electoral system (First-past-the-post)
-The alternative electoral system proposed by the National Citizens' Assembly (Mixed Member Proportional).
What does that mean? It sounds more complicated than it is, but in essence you can choose to either leave things as they are or approve a new method that would see you voting for your favourite candidate - like you do now - as well as the party of your choice, giving those entities that received a certain percentage of the vote a chance to have additional MPs elected. For a full explanation,
click here.
What Was The Last Referendum About?
If the latest one is enough to drive you to drink, consider this: the last referendum in Ontario 83 years ago came during the height of the Prohibition era and centered on whether liquor should remain banned in Ontario.
It was a two-parter:
1) Are you in favour of the continuance of the Ontario Temperance Act? (i.e. Prohibition)
2) Are you in favour of the sale as a beverage of beer and spirituous liquor in sealed packages under government control?
The first question passed by 51 per cent. The second garnered 48.5 per cent of the vote. Despite the outcome, the ruling Tories decided that there was enough support for the latter, and immediately began debating allowing the sale of beer in the province, a place that was already overrun by bootleggers.
When they were returned to power in 1926 with even more of the popular vote, things moved swiftly. And by 1927 a familiar entity came into existence: The Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
That referendum didn't coincide with an election and was held as part of a separate vote on October 23, 1924. It's hard to say how many will cast their ballot in the 2007 version, but the previous one had everybody's interest. Some 1.1 million took part in settling the two yes or no questions.
Click here to
visit our Election Site.
To
view our live video stream of election night coverage, click here. Please note, live streaming is only available for IE 6.0 browsers and higher.