Lesson 7: The Voting Process

Opening Discussion Have you ever voted for something before? How was the winner decided? Did you think the process was fair? Why or why not?

Who is eligible to vote? To be able to vote in Ontario municipal and school board elections, you must: 1.Reside in the municipality or own or rent property in the municipality, 2.Be a Canadian citizen, 3.Be at least 18 years of age on election day. This means that if you own property in more than one municipality, you can vote in each place.

What do I need in order to vote? If you are registered to vote (on the voters list), you will be mailed a voter information card that has information on where and when you can vote. If you don’t have a voter information card, you need to bring identification to the voting place that proves who you are and where you live.

What is the voting process? 1.Once you confirm that you are qualified to vote, you are given a ballot. 2.Go behind a voting screen and mark your ballot. 3.Hand your folded ballot back to the poll clerk to check that it is a verified ballot. 4.Once the poll clerk gives you back the ballot, you can put it in the ballot box. 5.Your ballot is recorded and counted.

How do I mark my ballot? A ballot lists the names of the candidates running for each position or office in your municipality. Voting is done by secret ballot. No one except the voter knows the choice that was made. The voter must clearly mark the ballot for their preference for it to be accepted (e.g., checkmark, x, shading in).

Rejected and Spoiled Ballots A rejected ballot is a ballot that cannot be counted because the voter’s choice is not clear. (For example, your ballot is rejected if you try to vote for more than the number of candidates you are allowed to choose.) A spoiled ballot is one that was kept separate and never placed in the ballot box because it was mistakenly marked or torn and exchanged for a new ballot.

What is advance voting? Electors who are away, busy or unable to vote on election day, have the option of participating in advance voting. Advance voting is held prior to election day.

Final Thoughts How will you prepare to vote? How do you know if you are ready to vote? How can you encourage eligible voters that you know to cast their ballot?