Advance voting opportunities open today from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Trail Aquatic and Leisure Centre on Columbia Ave., the Fruitvale Municipal Office on Beaver Street, the Montrose office on 11th Ave.,and Warfield’s village office on Schofield Highway.
Eligible electors may register at the time of voting by completing the required application form at the voting place, but must be 18 years of age or older, a Canadian citizen, a resident of BC for at least six months preceding the day of registration, and a resident or registered owner of property for at least 30 days immediately preceding the day of registration.
And when it’s time to select a candidate, voters aren’t required to select the maximum choices if they don’t want to.
Rules to mark a ballot are clear – although there’s more than enough names vying to fill the four or six-person local councils, voters can chose “up to” their communities’ respective number of seats.
In Rossland and Trail, that means eligible electors have the option of choosing one mayor, a lone candidate or up to six candidates for council and in the Silver City, one or two names for school trustee.
Warfield and Montrose residents can chose one candidate for mayor and between one and four candidates for council. There isn’t a mayoral race in Fruitvale this year, but villagers can choose between one and four candidates for council positions.
On an added note, marking more than the available council or trustee positions, will deem the ballot spoiled at the time of voting, or rejected at the time ballots are counted.
Other ways a ballot can be rejected is if it differs physically from the official ballot, is marked in such a way that the voter could be identified or does not clearly indicate the intention of the voter, or is not marked with anything at all.
A rejected ballot is not counted. However in Trail, the automated voting machine would immediately determine the ballot spoiled, and if a voter would like a replacement, he or she can do so by giving the spoiled ballot to an election official.