> Home > Election Services > General Information > Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Election Day?What are the dates for Advance Voting?
Do voters have to register in advance of General Election Day?
How do electors register to vote?
Do voters have to re-register to vote for each election?
Who is eligible to vote?
What is the identification requirement in order to vote?
What forms of ID are acceptable?
What provisions are made to assist disable persons?
What provisions are made for residents of care facilities?
What provisions are made to assist people using other languages?
Can people vote in Richmond if they live elsewhere but own property here?
When can people be nominated as candidates in the election?
What are the general qualifications to run as a candidate?
What is an elector organization?
What is a campaign organizer?
What is a campaign financing disclosure statement?
When is election day?
General Election Day is November 19, 2011.
What are the dates for advance voting?
The dates for advance voting in 2011 are:
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011: Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011: Richmond City Hall
Thursday, November 10th, 2011: Richmond City Hall
Saturday, November 12th, 2011:
- Library Cultural Centre
- Cambie Community Centre
- McRoberts Secondary School
- McMath Secondary
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011:
- Richmond Olympic Oval
- Richmond City Hall
The dates provide both weekday and weekend advance voting opportunities.
Do voters have to register in advance of General Election Day?
No.
People who are not already registered on the voters list, or who did not register during the advance registration period, may still register to vote at the time of voting. Eligible electors who have never before registered may register to vote in advance provided they do so before September 27, 2011. After this date, eligible electors who are not yet registered to vote, must register at the time of voting.
How do electors register to vote?
If you are not already on the voter’s list, you can register at the City Clerk’s Office or the Election Office at City Hall during the voter registration period (until September 27, 2011). You will be able to check whether you are registered to vote on the City web site. If you don’t register to vote in advance, don’t be concerned - you can always register at the voting place just before you vote. Remember, registration in advance of General Election Day is not required. In order to register, a person must meet the eligibility requirements and present acceptable identification (see below for details).
Do voters have to re-register to vote for each election?
No.
If you voted in the previous provincial, federal or civic elections, then it is very likely that you are already registered to vote for the 2011 General Local and School Election. The City uses the provincial voters list for civic elections, which is based on election registration data from both the provincial and federal voters lists. Elections BC maintains and updates the voters list between elections, however, if you have recently moved, and have not updated your registration information with Elections BC, then you may wish to do so during the advance registration period to ensure that your current registration information for Richmond is incorporated into the voters list. Again, there is no need to be concerned if you have not updated your registration information in advance of General Election Day - an Election Official can easily process a change of address or registration update immediately before you vote at the voting place.
Who is eligible to vote?
You may vote in the Richmond General Local and School Election as a resident elector if you:
- are a Canadian citizen;
- are, or will be, 18 years of age or more on General Voting Day (Saturday, November 19, 2011);
- have lived in BC for at least 6 months prior to registration (May 17, 2011 is the last day to meet residency requirement if registering on General Voting Day);
- have lived in Richmond (or owned property in Richmond for a non-resident elector) for at least 30 days prior to registration (October 19, 2011 is the last day to meet local residency requirement if registering on General Voting Day); and
- are not disqualified from voting by the Local Government Act or any other enactment.
If a person is already registered on the voters list, there is no ID requirement at the time of voting.
If a person is not already registered on the voters list, and they are eligible to vote, the following ID requirement must be met when registering at the time of voting:
- At least 2 ID documents must be shown that provide evidence of the person’s identity and place of residence, at least one of which must contain the person’s signature, OR
- At least 2 ID documents must be shown that provide evidence of the person’s identity, at least one of which must contain the person’s signature, and make a solemn declaration as to the person’s place of residence.
The following are examples of acceptable identification documents (this is not an exhaustive list):
|
|
What provisions are made to assist voters with disabilities?
People who have a physical disability, illness, or injury that affects their ability to vote at another voting opportunity may request to vote using a mail-in ballot. In addition, on General Voting Day and on Advance Voting Days, people may request “curb-side voting,” which is a service whereby an elector may vote in their car with the assistance of an election official, provided the elector is able to drive to or be driven to a voting place. If an elector requires assistance to read or mark a ballot, they are permitted to have the assistance of another person in the voting booth. Also, every effort is made to ensure that all voting places are accessible. Finally, at some advance voting opportunities and at one voting place on General Voting Day, an “accessible voting station” will be available. An accessible voting station allows an elector to use a ballot marking device that would assist voters with disabilities to mark their ballots independently. The ballot marking device offers a range of user-interfaces such as descriptive audio, enhanced video display, Braille keypad, and connections for sip/puff devices.
What provisions are made for residents of care facilities?
As in previous years, voting opportunities will be provided for residents of care facilities who would otherwise not be able to attend a voting place on General Voting Day. In the past, voting opportunities have be provided at Minoru Residence, Gilmore Gardens, Courtyard Gardens, Fraserview Intermediate Care Lodge, Richmond Lions Manor, Rosewood Manor, Pinegrove Place, Austin Harris, and Oak Tree House. Similar arrangements will be made again this year in consultation with facilities staff to provide appropriate voting opportunities for people living in these and other new facilities as appropriate. Other people who are disabled, injured or ill, but living at home or at another place not listed above, may also vote using a mail-in ballot.
What provisions are made to assist people using other languages?
The City publishes and distributes a voters guide in English, French, Chinese and Punjabi. In addition, voting instructions and other voting information is posted at the voting places in each of these languages. The City also makes an effort to have some multi-lingual election staff available at the voting places and if a person requires translation assistance in the voting booth, they may bring one person along with them to translate.
Ballots are not available in other languages.
Can people vote in Richmond if they live elsewhere but own property here?
The Local Government Act allows people who are not residents of a municipality to vote if they own property within a given jurisdiction. Of course, by definition, this right is only extended to people who are not residents so as to avoid double-voting. For example, a resident of Vancouver who owns property in Richmond may vote in Vancouver as a resident elector and in Richmond as a non-resident property elector. However, a person who lives in Richmond, and owns additional properties in Richmond may only vote once in Richmond as a resident elector. The property must be owned personally and not by a corporation since corporate voting has long since been eliminated.
When can people be nominated as candidates in the election?
The nomination period begins on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 9:00 am and ends on Friday, October 14, 2011 at 4:00 pm. No candidate nominations can be filed except during the nomination period.
What are the general qualifications to run as a candidate?
In order to run as a candidate, you must:
- be 18 or older on General Voting Day;
- be a Canadian citizen; and
- be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months before the election.
What is an elector organization?
An elector organization is an organization that endorses the election of a particular candidate and has its name on the ballot along with the candidate’s name. If the organization wants to have its name appear on the ballot with the candidate's name, the organization must have been in existence for 60 days and have had a membership of 50 electors of the local jurisdiction for that period. Elector organizations are bound by the same financial disclosure rules as candidates and their disclosure statements are available for inspection by the public at the local government office after general voting day.
What is a campaign organizer?
Campaign organizers are individuals or organizations that mount an election campaign and accept campaign contributions, intend to accept campaign contributions, or incur expenses in support of an election campaign. The primary difference between an elector organization and “campaign organizer” is that the campaign organizer does not officially endorse candidates on the ballot, but nevertheless, mounts an election campaign or advertising campaign in support of a candidate(s) or an elector organization(s).
What is a campaign financing disclosure statement?
The purpose of campaign financing disclosure statements are to provide the public with more information as to who is financially supporting candidates, elector organizations and campaign organizers and how much is spent in running for elected office. Candidates, elector organizations and campaign organizers are required to prepare and file with the local government, public statements which outline the campaign contributions they received and election expenses they incurred.
The campaign financing disclosure statements must be filed 120 days after general voting day (March 19, 2012). The requirement to file a disclosure statement applies to all candidates and elector organizations, whether or not contributions were received or election expenses were incurred.
Campaign organizers are also required to file campaign financing disclosure statements. For campaign organizers, the requirement to file is triggered once the organizer files with the Chief Election Officer the contact information for the organization and its appointed officers. This must be done once the organizer has incurred election expenses greater than $500, has received campaign contributions greater than $500, or sooner if the organizer so chooses.
