By Hayley Ferguson

How to vote in Medicine Hat

Mar 21, 2019 | 5:29 PM

Medicine Hat, AB– The 2015 Provincial election saw the highest voter turnout since 1993 with over half of eligible Albertans making sure their voice was heard. Elections Alberta hopes the numbers this year will be similar.

“Prior to the writ being dropped on Monday there were over 3,000 requests for special ballots to election Alberta itself. That’s about 1,000 more than last election so they are quite impressed with the numbers and are telling of how many are interested and will come out and vote.” Said Returning Officer for Cypress- Medicine Hat Allan Bloomfield.

With the new boundaries in Medicine Hat, people can find out on Elections Alberta’s website which district they belong to as well as which polling station they go to on election day. Bloomfield said the stations will be similar to last election.

“We have 30 of them throughout the city. Schools and churches and halls. They are basically the same as they have been in the past. We’re using the same facilities. I try and get them the same locations people have voted at before so they basically know where to go without any difficulties.”

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Voting has gotten easier this year if you won’t be in your electoral district. For the first time Albertans will be able to vote at any advance poll across the province.

“This allows people to vote who are working away from home or travelling away in Alberta for pleasure at anytime when the advance polls are on. Or if they are away for family emergency they can still attend any advance poll anywhere in the province and receive an electoral ballot for where they live and for their candidates.” Elections Alberta’s Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Drew Westwater commented over the phone.

“If you’re in Fort McMurray for example and you want to vote in Medicine Hat you can go to a polling station and print a ballot out with the candidates names from Medicine Hat so it makes it very convenient from them yes.” Bloomfield added.

Voters can also still request a mail in ballot if they will be out of province.

“For special mail in ballots, they have until the Monday before the advance poll to make an application to have a ballot mailed out to them. From now until the Monday before the advanced polls, they can apply online for that once again on our website. They click on special ballots.” Westwater said.

The Deputy Chief Electoral Officer also mentioned that if this is your method of voting, it would be a write in ballot.

“They can either put the name of the candidate they wish to vote for or the name of the party they wish to vote for. Mail it back to us, once we get it before 8 o’clock on election day, the ballot will be counted.”

Elections Alberta is also still looking for approximately 220 people to work in the Cypress-Medicine Hat district on election day.