HOW TO VOTE
Eligibility to Vote
You may vote in the general local election as a resident elector if you:
- are a Canadian citizen;
- are 18 years of age or more on general voting day;
- have lived in British Columbia for at least six months before you register to vote; and;
- have lived in the municipality (West Vancouver) or school district (School District #45) where you wish to vote for 30 days or more before you register to vote;
- have not been disqualified by law from voting.
You may vote in the general local election as a non-resident property elector (i.e. if you own property in the municipality or school district, but live in another municipality or school district) if you:
- are not a resident elector in that community;
- are a Canadian citizen;
- are 18 years of age or more on general voting day;
- have lived in British Columbia for at least six months before you register to vote; have owned the property for at least 30 days before you register to vote;
- have not been disqualified by law from voting.
NOTE: Landed immigrants who are not Canadian citizens, and corporations and businesses are not permitted to vote (Local Government Act sections 49, 50, 51).
Reigistering to Vote - 2011 Election
In order to vote, voters must be registered on the List of Registered Electors, or be eligible to register. Registration procedures vary depending on whether you are a resident elector or non-resident property elector (see Eligibility to Vote)
Elections BC maintains the List of Registered Electors. If you have registered to vote in a provincial or a federal election, your name is probably already on the List. To find out if you are on the List, phone Elections BC, toll-free at 1-800-661-8683 or send an email to electionsbc@elections.bc.ca (the Elections BC website is www.elections.bc.ca). The List of Registered Electors for the West Vancouver general local election is from the Elections BC List.
If you are not on the List of Registered Electors and you meet all the requirements to vote, you may register when you come to vote at an advance voting opportunity (on November 5, 8, 9, 10 and 14) or on general voting day (on November 19, 2011). Electors who are eligible to vote by mail ballot may register as part of the mail ballot voting process.
To register, you must provide two pieces of identification, and at least one must have a signature. Examples of acceptable identification: BC driver's licence; credit card; debit card; BC CareCard; citizenship card; tax notice; utility bill (pursuant to the Local Government Elections Regulation B.C. Reg. 380/93, section 3 – Document identifying electors)
After the general local election new registrations are sent to Elections BC to update the List.
Voting Places - 2011 Election
General Voting Day – Saturday, November 19, 2011 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm)
General Voting Day is on Saturday, November 19, 2011, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Electors can vote at any of the 10 voting places listed below. (The Local Government Act in section 36 established general local elections to be held every three years, and established general voting day as the third Saturday in November in the year of the election.)
Voting Places on General Voting Day:
Electors can vote at any of the voting places as follows. (The Local Government Act section 101 sets out requirements for voting places.)
1. Gleneagles Community Centre (6262 Marine Drive)
2. Eagle Harbour School (5575 Marine Drive)
3. Rockridge Secondary School (5350 Headland Drive)
4. Presbyterian Church (2893 Marine Drive)
5. Irwin Park Elementary School (2455 Haywood Avenue)
6. Seniors' Activity Centre (695 21st Street)
7. Hollyburn Elementary School (1329 Duchess Avenue)
8. Ridgeview Elementary School (1250 Mathers Avenue)
9. Sentinel Secondary School (1250 Chartwell Drive)
10. Westcot Elementary School (760 Westcot Road)
Note:
-Advance Voting is held at Municipal Hall at 750 17th Street
-Mail Ballot Voting is available to eligible electors
Advance Voting - 2011 Election
Advance Voting Days – November 5, 8, 9, 10, and 14 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm):
Advance voting is an opportunity for electors to vote before General Voting Day on November 19, 2011. Advance voting will be held in the West Vancouver Municipal Hall Council Chamber at 750 17th Street, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on the following days:
Saturday, November 5
Tuesday, November 8
Wednesday, November 9
Thursday, November 10
Monday, November 14
(Advance voting dates are established by the Local Government Act and the District’s General Local Elections Regulations Bylaw. The Local Government Act in section 97 requires that at least two advance voting opportunities be held: one to be held on the tenth day before general voting day, and the other on another date which the local government must establish by bylaw. The Local Government Act allows additional advance voting opportunities to be provided and established by bylaw.)
- the Local Government Act section 97 established the tenth day before general voting day as a required advanced voting opportunity (the tenth day before general voting day is November 9th);
- the General Local Elections Regulations Bylaw established the eleventh and fifth days before general voting day as additional advance voting opportunities (the eleventh day before general voting day is November 8th and the fifth day before general voting day is November 14th); and
- the Local Government Act and General Local Elections Regulations Bylaw authorizes additional advance voting opportunities to be established.
Mail Ballot Voting - 2011 Election
To download the application to vote by mail ballot please click here.
Electors who are eligible can vote by mail ballot.
The Local Government Act section 100 sets out the provisions for mail ballot voting and specifies that the only electors who may vote by mail ballot are:
- persons who have a physical disability, illness or injury that affects their ability to vote at another voting opportunity; and
- persons who expect to be absent from the municipality on general voting day and at the times of all advance voting opportunities.
Applications to vote by mail ballot will be available on September 9, 2011 on the District's website and at Municipal Hall (and mail ballot packages will be mailed to eligible electors on November 5, 2011).
Mail ballot voting provisions are set out in the Local Government Act in section 100: “…a local government may, by bylaw, permit voting to be done by mail ballot, and in relation to this, may permit elector registration to be done in conjunction with this voting.”
The District’s General Local Elections Regulations Bylaw in section 11, sets out the provisions for mail ballot voting.
Deadline to return voted mail ballots to the chief election officer: by 8:00 pm on Saturday, November 19, 2011 (which is the close of voting on general voting day).
The Local Government Act specifies that in order to be counted for the election, mail ballots must be received by the chief election officer before the close of voting on general voting day (which is 8:00 pm on Saturday, November 19, 2011), and that it is the obligation of the person applying to vote by mail ballot to ensure that the mail ballot is received by the chief election officer within this time limit. Additionally, mail ballots can only be counted if all the required information and signatures are provided.