A federal byelection will take place in Calgary Centre on November 26, 2012. In case this whole thing has got you scratching your head, we’ve put together a handy byelection guide!
WHY IS THERE A BYELECTION IN CALGARY CENTRE?
The previous MP for this riding, Lee Richardson (Conservative), resigned his post in May 2012. Subsequent to his resignation, the Prime Minister was required to call a byelection to fill his seat within six months. On October 21, Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the byelection for November 26.
WHO CAN VOTE IN THIS BYELECTION?
To vote in the Calgary Centre byelection, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen;
- be at least 18 years old on election day;
- be a resident of Calgary Centre* from October 24 to November 26, 2012;
- prove your identity and address; and
- be a registered voter**.
*Not sure if you live in Calgary Centre? Check out Election Canada’s map of the electoral district.
**Not sure if you’re a registered voter? Visit the Online Elector Registration Service. Even if you’re not registered in advance of the byelection, though, you can register at the poll when you go to vote, provided that you have the acceptable types of identification.
HOW DO I VOTE IN THIS BYELECTION?
If you’re eligible to vote, as per the criteria above, there are several ways to vote:
- on election day (November 26, 2012) at your polling place, from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm;
- on advance voting days (November 16, 17 or 19) at your advance polling place, from noon to 8:00 pm;
- by special ballot at your local Elections Canada office, if you register for a special ballot by 6 pm on November 20; or
- by mail, if you register for a special ballot by 6 pm on November 20.
WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?
There are five candidates in this byelection:
Joan Crockatt (Conservative Party of Canada)
Antoni Grochowski (Independent)
Harvey Locke (Liberal Party of Canada)
Dan Meades (New Democratic Party)
Tony Prashad (Libertarian Party of Canada)
Chris Turner (Green Party of Canada)
We’ve sent arts-related survey questions to each of the candidates! Click here to see their responses.
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
Elections Canada is an excellent resource for election-related info.
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS!
Please feel free to e-mail us at artsvote@artsvotecalgary.ca or tweet us at @ArtsVoteYYC with any of your election-related questions. We may not know the answer, but we’ll do our darndest to find out!
