(no subject)

[felis_ultharus]

Today's the election day. It's in the hands of the voters now.

The tree across the street from our apartment went orange overnight. I'm taking it as a good portent.

Portents aside, parties, pundits, and pollsters from across the politicial spectrum think the NDP's going to do better tonight than last election. The only question is how well.

Of course, it doesn't matter how many people like us if they don't vote. All NDP supporters who haven't been to the polls yet have to get there today. You can find your polling station by typing your postal code in here -- it's usually just a couple blocks away.

You need some proof of who you are, but they'll take pretty much anything -- photo ID, a bank card with your name on it, a neighbour who'll vouch for who you are. Proof of address -- like a bill or bank statement or those voter cards that arrive by mail -- are also needed.

ETA: Just a reminder -- it's highly illegal to reveal election results anywhere the polls haven't closed yet. That means that when the polls close here in Eastern Daylight Time at 9:30 pm, it's illegal to let anyone on the Prairies or BC know the results.

The TV stations do a news blackout, but most people don't realize that it includes all forms of communication -- including e-mail and social networking sites. Elections Canada has indicated that it plans to enforce the law against social networking sites, and they don't make idle threats.

It becomes legal to publish the results from coast-to-coast-to-coast at exactly half an hour after midnight.

Comments

[urbangeo.livejournal.com]

I'm going to cast by ballot shortly after the polls open. I just hope Mulcair can keep his seat.

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

He did, as it turned out, making him the first NDP MP to win twice in Quebec, and the first to be elected in a General Election.

We retained our toehold in Quebec, and gained one in Alberta this year, and gained one in Newfoundland, and spread out into Liberal territory in Ontario.

[maidenofirisa.livejournal.com]

I was annoyed this year because I don't get much time to vote due to my work schedule today. (Forget the whole 4 consecutive hours thing...)Anyway, that was until I realised I only had to walk across the street to vote.

I'll go at 10am just before work, then I won't have to rush after work and I can just sit in front of my computer and watch the results as they come in.

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

It's almost always really close. I've almost never had to walk a couple of blocks.

[urbangeo.livejournal.com]

I thought it was legal after polls close in BC at 7pm PST (10pm EST).

Also, how would we even know the results before if the news and elections canada is holding it back?

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of confusion. Many stations seem to add half an hour on to the time -- maybe just to be sure -- but when I mentioned it on Canpolitick, no one could find anything but "after the polls are closed" in the elections act.

It turns out the correct time here was 10pm.

And TV stations can stagger programming for region -- TV stations in places where the polls haven't closed show regular programming until then. The Internet, though, doesn't generally work like that.

[em-fish.livejournal.com]

That means that when the polls close here in Eastern Daylight Time at 9:30 pm, it's illegal to let anyone on the Prairies or BC know the results.

...I wonder if that would be true if there were no such thing as time zones? Just something to ponder.

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

More to the point, it's when people go to work and when they're home -- and when they're likely to be awake. In a world without time zones, people in BC would still probably go to work in the morning, even it was 4pm Greenwich Time.