Revelstoke voters reregistered closer to home

Elections Canada has updated voting location information for some living in and around Revelstoke based on feedback from residents being directed to vote in Trout Lake, Seymour Arm and Sicamous. The recent redrawing of election ridings to create the Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies riding led to a redistribution of voting locations, a process that isn’t always foolproof James Hale, Elections Canada media relations told Revelstoke Mountaineer.

“These new areas are all studied by folks in parliament, who maybe aren’t familiar with the areas. When changes happen it can leave some folks suddenly much further away from their polling station than previous elections.”

Unlike the previous provincial election, voters cannot cast their ballot at any polling location this federal election. Registration distribution could mean voters living fifteen minutes away from one polling station but directed to vote at another polling station two hours away. Swift feedback from the community and employee review has Elections Canada working to reorganize who is registered where.

“It’s a timeline thing. We had a very quick election called, we had boundaries redrawn when that election was called, and we have staff trying to get information out to voters as quickly as possible,” Hale said when asked why registrations weren’t updated before voter cards went out.

While voter cards are not needed to cast your ballot during the election, they list what polling stations voters are registered at. Updated cards are being sent out to those impacted by the redrawing of ridings, but arrival could come too late for some in more rural areas. Hale recommends voters checking the Elections Canada website for updated polling station information.

Looking for more information about the election? Visit our voter guide and check out our Q&A with Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies candidates.

READ MORE

Your Revelstoke federal election guide