For information about voting for Residents Living On First Nations Reserve Land, click here.
With the municipal elections approaching, I have been reflecting back to the last time we had them. I was 20 & advised to vote to bring the youth vote up. I unwittingly checked boxes for candidates without knowing what their campaign was or where they stood on local issues. I picked familiar names that I saw on picket signs by sidewalks or overheard other people mentioning. At 25, having voted in various elections since, I now realize the importance of voting. This is our opportunity to be heard and have a say in how our community is governed for our current and future sustainability.
Today I am more aware of issues that our community is facing, such as affordable housing & for the third year in a row our river was so low that it was a worry for our salmon to spawn. This time around I am doing my research and making an educated vote. One Cowichan did a survey on local issues that the community answered. Based on those results most of the candidates have responded to some of those top priority questions which can be found on the One Cowichan webpage.
One thing that I did not know when I voted last was you do not need to select 6 candidates if you only support a couple. I also heard misinformation regarding aboriginal voting rights. I did some research and aboriginal people are allowed and encouraged to vote in municipal, provincial and federal elections. We have had this right for the past 54 years or so. During my research I found that the aboriginal percentage of voting is low and as a first nations woman this concerned me. The way I see it is that voting in municipal, provincial and federal elections is just as important as voting for our chief and council. We are electing the people who will work with our chief and council. I hope that this year we have a higher turnout in aboriginal voters.
Other voting requirements include:
- You must be a Canadian Citizen
- You have to have lived in BC for the last six months.
- The age requirement is eighteen to vote on or before the General voting day
- A resident of the electoral district
You have 3 options for voter Identification,
- A single piece of government issued photo ID with your address listed on it, BCID, B.C. Service Card, or Drivers license.
- Status Card (Certificate of Indian Status as issued by Canada)
- Two documents together that show your name and address, but must contain your name. Only one must have your address. (Please note hand written documents are not acceptable)
For further detail please go to the Elections BC website here.
Our last chance to vote in on Saturday, November 15 from 8am to 8pm. Locations of where to vote can also be found on the One Cowichan website.
If you are eighteen or older I encourage you to exercise your right to vote. If you don’t vote, someone else will decide for you so make your voice heard.