If you’re not on the list, you can’t vote. It’s a simple as that.
With the municipal election coming up Nov. 10, and the town having opted to use a vote-by-mail system again this time around, that’s the message town clerk Glenn Treftlin is sending to the citizens of Fort Frances.
Eligible voters can find out this information, as well as whether their address is correct and whether they’re designated to vote for public or separate school board trustees, by checking out the lists located at the Civic Centre, museum, and public library.
“If they want to be sure they’ll receive the correct mail-in ballot package, and be able to vote, they should check the list,” said Treftlin.
“If there is a problem, they can get an application [at the front desk at the Civic Centre] to make that change, whatever it may be, fill it out, and turn it in to me,” he added.
“I have to have all the right information sent into Canada Post so they can get the ballots printed and out there,” he stressed.
Treftlin said another thing to look for is if a voter is on the list more than once—for instance, under their full name and then again under their initials.
They should have it corrected so they just receive one mail-in package.
“Get it eliminated. It streamlines things, and you can only vote once anyway. It’s a punishable offense if you try to do it twice,” he warned.
Treftlin noted he must submit all the correct info to Canada Post, which is in charge of the mail-in voting, by Oct. 2, so he would like to have it in to him by Sept. 26.
He added he’s expecting back only a half-dozen or so correction forms so far, and is worried not enough people are checking the preliminary voter lists, thus jeopardizing the potential number of eligible voters.
Canada Post is expected to send out the mail-in ballots to town residents starting Oct. 20. Everyone should have their packages by Oct. 26.
These packages include a ballot, a white privacy envelope, and a larger, yellow envelope which is postage paid if mailed in Canada.
Treftlin said the turnout for the last election in November, 2000 was “pretty good,” and he expects an equally good—or even better—one this fall.
Out of the some 6,700 potential voters three years ago, the town saw 3,333 votes come back—a 49.52 percent return rate.
Treftlin noted the greatest advantage to mail-in voting isn’t so much financial as it is practical as it gives you more opportunity to vote. Normally, voters get three days to vote—the two advance polls and voting day.
With the mail-in system, voters can send their ballots in as soon as they get them—even two weeks before election day.
He noted a greater voter turnout also could result if the ballots include the candidates running for the school boards. However, this was not the case in the 2000 election.
The majority of council voted in favour of using the mail-in ballots last September.
This item needed to be voted on well in advance of the election because of staffing considerations and decisions to be made relative to voting, such as contacting Canada Post and promoting the vote-by-mail format.
In other election news, as first reported in Monday’s Daily Bulletin, retired high school teacher Rick Wiedenhoeft is the latest to file his nomination to run for town council in November, bringing the number of candidates thus far to eight.
Wiedenhoeft joins Bud Edwards, John Albanese, Tannis Drysdale, and Todd Hamilton, along with incumbents Struchan Gilson, Roy Avis, and Sharon Tibbs, in the race to see who will be on the new council.
Coun. Neil Kabel has said he definitely will run again, but has not filed his nomination papers yet. Only Coun. Dave Bourgeault has said he will not seek re-election in November.
Coun. Deane Cunningham filed his nomination papers for the position of mayor several weeks ago.
He is joined by Dan Onichuk, who officially declared his candidacy shortly after Mayor Glenn Witherspoon announced in July that he would not be seeking a fifth-straight term at the helm.
As far as school board trustees go, incumbents Gord McBride and Dan Belluz both have filed to run for the Rainy River District School Board again while incumbent Harold Huntley will seek re-election to the Northwest Catholic District School Board.
Mary Ellen Kennedy has put her name forward to be a trustee of the Le Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique des Aurores Boreales.
Anyone interested in running for mayor or council must file their nomination papers with Treftlin at the Civic Centre prior to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
