By Brittney Matejka/CHAT News Today

Advance poll for Medicine Hat election is now open.

Oct 7, 2017 | 2:05 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Voters can have their first opportunity to cast their ballots in the 2017 Municipal Election with the opening of the advance poll for Medicine Hat.

The first advance poll is open Saturday October 7th from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at City Hall. Residents can vote on their choices for mayor, city council and school board trustees for SD76 and the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education. Returning Officer, Anglea Cruickshank said any residents can vote in advance at the polls.

“It’s designed for those people who aren’t around on the 16th, which is election day, so people can come all week and cast their vote in plenty of time,” she explained.

Cruickshank said the city is trialling out some new equipment during the advance poll, giving Medicine Hat residents the option of traditional pencil and paper or the Express Vote machine.

“We are trialling our Express Vote at the Advance polls which is a touch screen machine, it also has features for people who might be vision impaired to allow them to vote in secrecy,” she said.

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A few other municipalities are trialling the Express Vote machines during advance polls said Cruickshank including Red Deer, AB.

“We’ll assess how we get on this year with trialling them, and also technology is always changing. It’s definitely something we’ll be looking at in the next election,” she explained.

Drive-thru advance polls are being trialled in larger cities said Cruickshank. She thinks it could be an option for Medicine Hat in the future.

“We are always looking at ways to reach voters in different ways,” she said.

In order to cast a ballot, Cruickshank explained voters must produce one piece of government issued identification which includes their name and their current address, such as a driver’s license or an Alberta Identification Card.

If voters do not have one of those cards, they can still vote if they produce one piece of identification that has their name and current address. 

The identification must establish your name and current address. Electronic copies of any of these documents will also be accepted.

– A utility bill: e.g. telephone, public utilities, commission, television, hydro, gas, or water  Residential lease or mortgage statement 

-Statement of government benefits: e.g. employment insurance, old-age security, social assistance, disability support, or child tax benefit 

-Bank/Credit Card statement or personal cheque 

-Pension Plan statement of benefits, contributions, or participation 

-Government cheque or cheque stub 

-Insurance policy or coverage card 

-Vehicle ownership or Insurance certificate

-Attestation of Residence issued by the responsible authority of a Supportive Living Facility or Treatment Centre 

-Income/property tax assessment notice 

-One of the following, issued by the responsible authority of a shelter or soup kitchen: e.g. attestation of residence, letter of stay, admission form or statement of benefits 

-Letter from a public curator, public guardian or public trustee 

-Attestation of Residence issued by the landlord of a commercial property management company  -Correspondence issued by a school, college, or university 

-Attestation of Residence issued by the responsible authority of First Nation band or reserve.

Cruickshank said this year the city is also offering a new way for voters to cast their ballot.

“We have got the mail in ballots this time, which is brand new. So voters who are out of the city in October or are home bound can mail in their ballots to us. They have to be in by election day at 4:30p.m. and we’ve already sent out some ballot packages as far as Nevada and even across to Europe,” she explained.

The full dates for advance polls are as follows:

-Oct. 7 – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at City Hall

-Oct. 10 – 2-8 p.m. at City Hall

Oct. 11 – 2-8 p.m. at City Hall

Oct. 12. – 2-8 p.m. at City Hall

Oct. 13 – 2-8 p.m at Medicine Hat College

Oct. 14 – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – City Hall.

Election day is October 16.