While the polling station inside council chambers at the Civic Centre has been busy for the past two weeks, a larger portion of town hall will become a beehive of activity this coming Monday—and nobody knows that better than clerk Glenn Treftlin.
“I’m having the employees come in at 7:30 p.m. that evening and the counting starts at 8 p.m., just after the poll closes,” he noted.
During that day, electors who have not mailed in their ballots still can drop by the ante room at the Civic Centre, speak with election staff Sandra Whalen and Meghan O’Brien, and cast their vote.
But after the poll closes, all the ballots will be moved to a secured room in the lower level of the Civic Centre, where the results will be calculated.
Meanwhile, the media, candidates, their supporters, and the public are welcome to come to the council chambers on election night.
Lyndon Hughes, community programmer with Shaw Cable here, said subscribers are encouraged to watch the election coverage Monday night on Channel 10.
“What we hope to do is give viewers a little taste as to what’s going on that night,” he remarked.
Gord McBride will host the broadcast.
“We’re hoping all the candidates will be there some time during the evening,” noted Hughes, adding he’d like to catch both those elected and those not so fortunate and hear what they have to say.
The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. and should go on until all the votes are counted.
Inside council chambers, there will be a projection screen and a 4’x8’ board to display the results as they’re tabulated. These will be updated every half-hour.
“The results on Monday won’t be final until I declare them final, which because of Remembrance Day, may not be until a couple days after the election,” Treftlin noted.
“The results on Monday may end up being the final results, but under the Municipal Election Act, I still have to check everything before I can declare them so.”
Treftlin said Monday could be a long night for everyone involved as the votes are tallied. “The level of voter turnout and the additional trustees on the ballots this election might be a factor,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, mail-in ballots have been rolling in since residents first received them the week of Oct. 20-25. As of 3 p.m. yesterday, 3,215 ballots had been received by the town.
“If this continues, we might do better than our last election,” said Treftlin, stressing that some of that total may be found to be spoiled when they’re opened on Nov. 10.
“We’re very happy so far with the response to the mail-in ballots,” said acting CEO Mark McCaig. “The election campaign has been pretty high-profile.
“And it’s great to see so many people voting. It is, after all, the foundation of a democratic society.”
The total number of eligible voters in Fort Frances is 6,676.
Voter turnout in the last municipal election in 2000 was 3,381. That means just over 100 more ballots needed to meet that mark.
Though people have groaned the mail-in system isn’t nearly as dramatic as a traditional one-day election, and voting at home just doesn’t feel the same as marking an ‘X’ on your ballot at the polls, Treftlin said the change to election process was inevitable—and has its advantages.
For instance, he noted the mail-in system makes it easier for handicapped people to vote and is flexible for those who might not be in town Nov. 10.
“You’re given three solid weeks to cast a ballot,” he remarked. “I’m sure the voter participation this election is due to the increased opportunities to vote.
“With the mail-in ballot, we’re giving them more than ample opportunity to vote,” he added.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
