Election day in Canada

Today was the federal election in Canada. I saw no line-ups. Never do. The polling station was in a large, neighbourhood church and many voters simply walked over to the church-polling station to cast their vote. (One reader, whom I trust, wrote: "I did see line ups outside a couple poll stations yesterday." And this was not the only person who corrected me. I have never been in a polling station line but clearly it happens.)

The ballot was simple and paper. No voting machines. None. To indicate the candidate for whom one is voting, a small pencil is supplied to mark a large "X" in the circle beside the candidate's name. Along with the names of the candidates, the ballot also carries the candidate's party affiliation.

A few weeks before an election, each registered voter gets a voter information card. It tells the voter where to go to vote. There were three voting booths in my polling station. On arriving at the station, I showed my the card I had been sent and I was told at which booth to cast my ballot.

Elections Canada is not a stickler when it comes to these cards. If you don't get a voter information card, or if the information on it is incorrect, you may not be registered or your registration may not be up to date. You can register or update your information, including your name, at your assigned polling station on election day.

Before being given a ballot, voters must show a piece of accepted i.d. A driver's licence or a health card with one's picture will suffice but there are other ways to prove you are who you say you are. If you have absolutely no i.d., you can still vote. Declare your identity and address in writing and have someone who knows you and who is assigned to your polling station vouch for you.

There is no electronic or online voting in Canadian federal elections. Elections Canada likes to brag that it uses paper ballots only and these are all counted by hand in front of scrutineers. Voting machines or electronic tabulators have never been used to count votes. Why? Paper ballots teamed with lots of polling stations seems to be work better, when all things are considered, than the voting machine approach used in some other countries.

When will we know the results? As long as the results are not too close, Canadians could have a good handle on which party will form the next government shortly after midnight. But, thanks to COVID-19, there were more than the usual number of mail-in votes this year and so it is possible, warns Elections Canada, that the final tally may not be known for up to four days after the polls close. Patience is a virtue, I guess.