Rob Cottingham

23 Jan 2006

The election: no day but today

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Category: Politics; Technology

Apparently, some cretin is circulating a hoax claiming you can vote tomorrow as well as today. Nuh-uh. Elections Canada sets the record straight:

The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Jean‑Pierre Kingsley, has received reports of an e-mail being sent with the Elections Canada logo, and bearing his name and title, telling electors they can vote over a two-day period. This message does not come from Elections Canada, and is against the law. Anyone having information identifying the source of the message should contact the Commissioner of Canada Elections at Elections Canada as noted below.

There have also been reports of incorrect information about voting and voting places on some candidates’ materials.

Mr. Kingsley reminds electors that the only polling day is Monday, January 23. Elections Canada is the official source of information for electors about the voting process and voting places.

The address and voting hours of an elector’s polling station are shown on the voter information card that he or she received in the mail during the last week of December, or later if changes occurred.

Any elector who did not receive a voter information card should contact the office of the returning officer in his or her electoral district to get the address of the polling station. This information is also available on the Elections Canada Web site by clicking on the Voter Information Service icon at www.elections.ca and typing in a postal code, or by calling Elections Canada at 1 800 463-6868. An automated voice recognition service for commonly asked questions is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at this number, as well as personalized service during regular hours.

Why people do this is beyond me. Why these e-mails keep circulating — well, that’s another matter. You probably already know what I’m about to say, so for the following is for the tiny minority who don’t:

Check before you forward these things, people. Go online, go to the original source and don’t believe something just because someone claims the information was on Oprah, or cut and pasted a logo into the e-mail. And if you can’t find confirmation, then please don’t pass along unreliable information.

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