Elections BC has sent out a reminder on social media for people in the Regional District of Nanaimo after some residents showed up at the polling station and were told they were not eligible to vote in the byelection as they live outside of the Nanaimo Electoral District.
There have been reports from Elections BC staff of people being turned away from polling stations after they were told that they did not reside within the Nanaimo Electoral District. The Nanaimo-North Cowichan Electoral District and the Parksville-Qualicum Electoral District border the Nanaimo Electoral District. Michelle Stilwell, a member of the BC Liberal Party, is the MLA for Parksville-Qualicum. Doug Routley, a member of the BC NDP, is the MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan.
“We have been reminding voters that the electoral district boundaries are different than the municipal boundaries and regional district boundaries. We are using all channels to get the message to voters to check that they live in the electoral district before heading to the voting place,” Elections BC Director of Communications Rebecca Penz said in a statement.
On your way to vote in #Nanaimo? Check the Nanaimo electoral district boundaries to make sure you’re eligible to vote! https://t.co/W2MjW9jeIE Find more information including a list of voting places at https://t.co/5xR5aXnz68. #NanaimoVotes #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/Euxb79mPY2
— Elections BC (@ElectionsBC) January 30, 2019
Elections BC has put out the electoral boundary map for people to look at before they head for a polling station. Voters can also use the “Where To Vote” application to see the boundaries and find one of the 13 voting locations around the city and on Protection Island. Eligible voters should have received a “Where to Vote” card in the mail. They can also call 1-800-661-8683 for assistance.
Hundreds of volunteers are getting out the vote in #nanaimovotes @CHEK_News @s_malcolmson team is driving voters to the polls now. pic.twitter.com/tB5sVPnX4M
— Skye Ryan (@SkyeRyanCHEK) January 30, 2019
The polling stations close at 8 p.m. CHEK News will have live coverage of the election results and analysis from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
A map of the Nanaimo Electoral District. (Elections BC).
CHEK News
