With the Canadian federal election taking place Monday, May 2, election officials are reminding voters to head to the right polling station.
According to Elections Canada, there will be two polling station locations in Grand Forks, the Senior Citizen's Branch City Park on 565 71st Ave. and the Gospel Chapel on 7048 Donaldson Dr. and voters are asked to check their voter cards to go to the proper location.
"People have to go to the one which their voter information card directs them," explains Rob Switzer, Elections Canada's returning officer for the B.C. Southern Interior.
"If they go to the wrong one, they will be told to go to the other one. The best way for them to know which one to go to is to look at the voter information card, which will identify the name and address of the polling site."
He says that where a person votes isn't determined by alphabetical order but rather on where they live.
"Our federal legislation is very different from the provincial legislation," Switzer says.
"People in B.C. have the idea they can go anywhere to vote because that's what the case is provincially but in a federal election, you have to go specifically to where (the card) tells you to go or we can't take your vote."
Switzer says that if people don't have a voter information card, they are asked to call 1-866-546-7619 and people that aren't registered can do so in conjunction with voting.
"You show up at the polling site and if you're not registered, you're directed to the registration table where you register and then you go to a polling station."
Also, Elections Canada says people that vote must prove their identity and address by:
-Showing an original, government-issued piece of ID with photo and address, such as a driver's licence,
-show two original pieces of authorized ID – both must have the voters name and one must have address or
-swear an oath and have a person who knows you vouch for you. The person must have proper ID and be from the same polling division as the other – Elections Canada gives a neighbour and roommate as examples.