Election Day: polls now open

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This article was published 03/10/2023 (768 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The polls are now open for Manitoba’s 43rd general election, with some changes that were set up to make voting quicker and more convenient.

To be eligible to vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old on Oct. 3, and have lived in Manitoba since at least April 3, 2023.

New this year, Manitobans can vote at any polling place in their electoral division. Once there, voters will cast their ballot on a first-come, first-served basis.

Elections Manitoba reminds voters that identification (ID) is required — either one piece of government-issued photo ID or two other pieces.

Voters on the voters list who do not have ID may have another voter with ID from the same electoral division vouch for them.

Once at your polling place, an election official will ask for your ID. If your name is on the voters list and you have acceptable ID or someone to vouch for you, you will receive a ballot in a secrecy sleeve.

If your name is not on the voters list, you must show your ID and then you will be asked to take an oath confirming your identity. If none of your ID shows your address, you will also be asked to sign a declaration of address.

The election official will hand you a ballot, which you will take behind a screen and fill in the circle beside the name of the candidate of your choice.

If you need assistance marking your ballot, an election official can help you, or you can bring someone with you to help.

Once the ballot has been completed, return it in its secrecy sleeve to the election official at the ballot box, who will then place your ballot in the box or vote counting machine.

Vote-counting machines, also known as tabulators, scan and record ballots and then provide a count at the end of the night.

All votes will be recorded on paper ballots, which are kept in case a recount is required, and nobody will know how each Manitoban voted, according to Election Manitoba website.

Once the polls close at 8 p.m., the vote-counting machines will produce a printout with the results of voting.

The results will show the number of votes each candidate received, the number of rejected ballots, the number of declined ballots and the total number of ballots cast.

Only authorized election officials can access the results and only after the polls have closed.

The number of people who voted at advanced polls this election, surpassed the number in the last election, according to Elections Manitoba.

As of last Thursday, about 136,000 Manitobans had cast their ballots at advance polling stations, compared to 2019, when the total number of advance voters was 112,814.

Manitoba has 57 members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), one to represent the people in each of 57 geographic areas of the province. Voters choose which candidate will become their area’s MLA.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele