MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County council has given first and second reading to proposed amendments to the county’s Municipal Elections bylaw to accommodate Senate and possible provincial referendum votes during the October general provincial election.
Regardless of the results of their respective nomination processes, municipalities will be required to provide voting opportunities for the Senate election (of nominees) and possible provincial referendums to all electors within the jurisdiction.
Despite the possibility that some of the divisions in the county may see candidates acclaimed, the province will still require polling stations to allow for the Senate and referendum votes.
“If municipal acclamations do occur in one or multiple divisions, it would be administration's recommendations that these divisions be combined to allow for one central polling location for electors to cast their vote,” administration said in a briefing note to council.
“This would still provide the required voting opportunities but do so in a much more cost-effective manner.”
The Municipal Election bylaw’s voting station/voting subdivisions section would be changed to read, in part, that, “The returning officer is hereby authorized to divide the local jurisdiction into voting subdivisions and may from time to time alter their boundaries but may not alter them between the time of the giving of notice of an election and the election day.
“In the event that the returning officer does not divide the local jurisdiction into alternative voting subdivisions, each municipal division shall be considered an individual voting subdivision.”
