With the municipal election Oct. 21, Rocky View County (RVC) is hosting its final advance-voting poll Oct. 19 in Langdon.
RVC communications manager Grant Kaiser said traditionally advanced polls were geared towards constituents who knew they’d be out of town on election day and unable to vote.
“But in a county the size of RVC with large agricultural areas and incredibly busy people, it’s more about allowing residents the chance to vote at more convenient times,” Kaiser stated in an email.
“For example, if you’re bringing in harvest on Oct. 21, deciding to stop and vote can be a tough choice. Allowing several voting dates helps people deal with these kinds of situations,” he added.
Four advance polls were held in Balzac, Bearspaw, Springbank and at the county office in Calgary beginning Oct. 4.
According to a county media release, 366 people voted in the first three advance polls. In the advance polls for the 2010 election, 232 residents in total voted.
Springbank (Division 3) had the highest voter turnout per hour whereas Bearspaw (Division 8) had the highest overall voters in the first three polls.
Kaiser stated it was “difficult to say” why the voter turnout is higher in this year’s election.
“The high turnout could simply be a matter of convenience.”
He added the county encourages residents to not only vote for their local councillors, but also for school board trustees.
“Many people still believe council has some say in school spending, taxes and decisions. They don’t. The budget for the Rocky View School Division is greater than that of RVC.
It’s a large and significant organization, and electing good school board representatives is important,” he stated.
Twenty-three regular voting stations will be set up throughout the county on Election Day, Oct. 21. Constituents can find their closest poll at rockyview.ca.
Advance voting for the Town of Cochrane started yesterday (Oct. 16) and will also be held at the Cochrane RancheHouse today from 4-8 p.m. and Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
