Making it Easier to Vote in this Year’s Election

At our City Council meeting this week, Council approved a plan to make it easier for Kingstonians to vote in the municipal election in October. It’s important that all eligible voters in the community make their voice heard at the ballot box, and to that end here are some of the improvements you can expect in this year’s municipal election:

• Free transit service to and from the polls: on either Advanced Voting Day (Saturday, October 13^th) or Voting Day (Monday, October 22nd), you can ride transit for free to get to the polling station, simply by showing your voter information notice. The City Clerk’s office is working to ensure that as many polling stations as possible are located on or near transit routes.
• Vote anywhere in your district: generally electoral districts in the city have 2-3 polling stations, and in previous elections you would be assigned to a particular polling station. However, in this election you can choose to go to whichever polling station in your district is most convenient for you. The City Clerk is also looking at the potential for real-time notifications on wait times, so that you can quickly find out which polling station in your district has the shortest line and head to that location.
• Extended period for internet voting: the 2014 municipal election was the first time that Kingstonians could cast their vote online, and that option has been expanded for this year’s election. You will be able to vote online starting from 10:00am on October 13th right through until 8:00pm on Voting Day, October 22nd.
• Check online to see if you’re on the voter’s list: city staff are also looking into the potential of online voter services where you will be able to check online to make sure that your name is on the voter’s list.

An election is one of the most important ways that citizens engage with their city and help craft the future of their community. With enhancements like these, I believe that Kingston can lead the way in encouraging high voter turnout and making sure that everyone in our community has their say in this year’s election.