After five weeks of campaigning it is now up to voters to decide who they would like to fill the vacant federal seat in Oxford County.
Polling stations in the Oxford byelection open Monday at 9:30 a.m. and will stay open until 9:30 p.m.
Voter information cards, mailed out by Elections Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the byelection on May 14, tell residents which polling station they need to attend to cast a ballot. Anyone who did not receive a voter information card can find their polling station by clicking here. Alternatively, votes can be cast at the local Elections Canada office in the Old Hydro One Building at 16 Graham Street in Woodstock.
All that is needed to vote is a driver’s licence or any other identification issued by the federal or provincial governments that have the voter’s photo, name and address listed. Those without a driver’s licence can cast a ballot by showing two pieces of Elections Canada approved identification, such as a voter information card and a bank statement or a utility bill and student ID card.
Anyone who doesn’t have ID will also still be permitted to vote in the byelection as long as they declare their identity and address in writing and have a fellow voter, who they know and who is assigned to the same polling station, vouch for them. The voucher must have proof of identity and address with them.
Those who have lived in the riding since at least May 15, but aren't registered to vote can still have a say. All they have to do is go to a polling station on election day and register. They also have the option of registering online, printing a pre-filled registration certificate, and bringing it with them for faster service at the polls.
Advance voting for the byelection was held over four days June 9 to 12. During that time, Elections Canada estimates 11,208 people cast a ballot. It was the most votes cast at advance polling stations in the four byelections currently being held across Canada. The three other federal ridings holding byelections are Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount in Quebec, and Winnipeg South Centre and Portage–Lisgar, in Manitoba. Each of those ridings saw fewer than 10,000 votes cast during early voting.
There are seven candidates to choose from in the Oxford byelection, including six from registered political parties and one independent.
