Residents given second chance to vote properly

FORT FRANCES—With the town seeing an unusual amount of improperly-completed ballots turned in for the Nov. 13 municipal election, voters who have done so are getting a second chance.
Election staff previously had allowed those who failed to include their signed declaration with their ballot to get a replacement one if they went to the Civic Centre and brought that form with them.
But returning officer Glenn Treftlin has revised that policy and now will permit those who voted incorrectly to get a replacement ballot without that declaration form.
They can go to the Civic Centre and check to see if their name has been crossed off the voters’ list (which would indicate they already had voted).
If it’s clear they haven’t voted, they will get a replacement voting kit upon signing an appropriate declaration, assistant returning officer Lori Pattison explained Thursday morning.
“The way the system is set up, there’s no way someone can vote twice,” she stressed.
This change (i.e., not having to produce the initial declaration form to get a new kit) was prompted by feedback from the public and candidates, noted Pattison.
Those who’ve not yet completed and returned their voting kits should heed the following instructions:
•Make sure you sign the voter declaration form included in the kit (this form is located on the back of the voting instruction page).
•After filling out your ballot, put it in the white secrecy envelope.
•Then put the white secrecy envelope, as well as the signed voter declaration form, inside the yellow return envelope.
•Return that yellow envelope to the Civic Centre as it now too late to mail it in.
Pattison noted the number of returned ballots now tops 3,000, but that the number that come in each day is diminishing.
As mentioned above, those who still haven’t voted must drop off their properly-completed ballots and declaration forms at the Civic Centre.
Election staff will be there accepting ballots tomorrow from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and again on Monday until 8 p.m.
Voters also can put ballots in the drop slot at the main door after hours and on the weekend.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)