And what I want to know is WHY??? 
We just had one two years ago. And while I think it would be amusing as hell if Jody Wilson-Raybould were defeated one month shy of the six years she'd need to get her extremely generous MP's pension, that's not enough to make up for the aggravation this is already causing, holding a federal election during a pandemic.
Dear Justin: You are not going to be loved for this. People are going to be very irate with you, including me, whose family voted Liberal for decades (I switched 20 years ago to a different party).
So, some advice and suggestions to the Canadians of CFCOT (and elsewhere on the board):
1. Make sure your information is updated with Elections Canada. It's easy to do it online; I got it taken care of last night.
2. If you don't have government-issued photo ID, you'll need two from Harper's Holy List of 39 Alternatives. I'm not sure if the VICs are included this time as valid ID. Depending on how fast they get them out, mine might go to my previous address, and the jerk who lives there might tell them I've moved (true, but if EC interprets that to mean that my new address is also invalid... let's just say I will be checking back several times to make sure I don't mysteriously "move" without my knowledge).
3. A lot of people are asking about mail-in ballots this year. If you opt for this, you'll need to send copies of your ID. Choose the ones that are least likely to help an identity thief if your paperwork gets lost or astray with Canada Post. Do NOT use banking, credit card, or SIN cards. Elections Canada has no need to EVER see that information. Those are between you and CRA.
4. If you're annoyed by this election, don't spoil your ballot. There's no point in doing that because the only people who will ever see it are the Deputy Returning Officer, maybe the Poll Clerk, and possibly a scrutineer if they feel like challenging the DRO's decision to declare it a spoiled ballot. The candidates never see these, and nobody cares. All you're doing is making extra work for the DRO/Poll Clerk team.
5. You can show up to a polling station and formally decline your ballot. That's another way of saying "none of the above".
6. Voting at the polling station? Don't tell the DRO (s)he doesn't have to say the same spiel you just heard them say to everyone else in front of you. They have to say it to everyone, every time. It's one of the rules in the EC manual, and one of the reasons why DROs in busy polling stations often have laryngitis the next day.
7. Elections workers are not volunteers. They are paid (different amounts, depending on what job they do). Unless they're rude or not following procedure for some reason (those trained in 2015 had abysmal training, going by the horror stories I heard), be patient. They have a 12 to 15-hour day and it's honestly exhausting. They're allowed bathroom breaks, but meal breaks have to be during quiet times. They don't get to leave until the votes are counted and every last scrap of paper is accounted for.
8. You are not allowed to take pictures of your ballot. You are not allowed to remove your ballot from the polling station. These rules are to help ensure the integrity of the vote.
9. Do not wear anything that could be considered "campaign literature" into the polling station - party/candidate t-shirts, hats, pins, masks. No, the workers in Alberta will not be amused by 'MAGA' hats. It's okay to wear a maple leaf pin or Canadian flag pin.
10. Don't bring your kids unless there's nobody to look after them. Explain that polling stations are not places to play and they should be quiet and not go behind the screen at the voting station. Strictly speaking, the only people who should be in a polling station are EC workers and voters.
11. I have no idea what the rules are about masks in general. That may come down to whatever the local Returning Officer and municipality decide.
Anyway, that's off the top of my head. I'm really not happy about this election being called during a pandemic, just halfway through the mandate. We've already got municipal elections going on in Alberta, and given how many municipal issues are directly driven by the idiots in the provincial government, it's like two elections at once already (3 if you count the idiocy of holding a senate vote and the PM doesn't even have to appoint the winner).
We just had one two years ago. And while I think it would be amusing as hell if Jody Wilson-Raybould were defeated one month shy of the six years she'd need to get her extremely generous MP's pension, that's not enough to make up for the aggravation this is already causing, holding a federal election during a pandemic.
Dear Justin: You are not going to be loved for this. People are going to be very irate with you, including me, whose family voted Liberal for decades (I switched 20 years ago to a different party).
So, some advice and suggestions to the Canadians of CFCOT (and elsewhere on the board):
1. Make sure your information is updated with Elections Canada. It's easy to do it online; I got it taken care of last night.
2. If you don't have government-issued photo ID, you'll need two from Harper's Holy List of 39 Alternatives. I'm not sure if the VICs are included this time as valid ID. Depending on how fast they get them out, mine might go to my previous address, and the jerk who lives there might tell them I've moved (true, but if EC interprets that to mean that my new address is also invalid... let's just say I will be checking back several times to make sure I don't mysteriously "move" without my knowledge).
3. A lot of people are asking about mail-in ballots this year. If you opt for this, you'll need to send copies of your ID. Choose the ones that are least likely to help an identity thief if your paperwork gets lost or astray with Canada Post. Do NOT use banking, credit card, or SIN cards. Elections Canada has no need to EVER see that information. Those are between you and CRA.
4. If you're annoyed by this election, don't spoil your ballot. There's no point in doing that because the only people who will ever see it are the Deputy Returning Officer, maybe the Poll Clerk, and possibly a scrutineer if they feel like challenging the DRO's decision to declare it a spoiled ballot. The candidates never see these, and nobody cares. All you're doing is making extra work for the DRO/Poll Clerk team.
5. You can show up to a polling station and formally decline your ballot. That's another way of saying "none of the above".
6. Voting at the polling station? Don't tell the DRO (s)he doesn't have to say the same spiel you just heard them say to everyone else in front of you. They have to say it to everyone, every time. It's one of the rules in the EC manual, and one of the reasons why DROs in busy polling stations often have laryngitis the next day.
7. Elections workers are not volunteers. They are paid (different amounts, depending on what job they do). Unless they're rude or not following procedure for some reason (those trained in 2015 had abysmal training, going by the horror stories I heard), be patient. They have a 12 to 15-hour day and it's honestly exhausting. They're allowed bathroom breaks, but meal breaks have to be during quiet times. They don't get to leave until the votes are counted and every last scrap of paper is accounted for.
8. You are not allowed to take pictures of your ballot. You are not allowed to remove your ballot from the polling station. These rules are to help ensure the integrity of the vote.
9. Do not wear anything that could be considered "campaign literature" into the polling station - party/candidate t-shirts, hats, pins, masks. No, the workers in Alberta will not be amused by 'MAGA' hats. It's okay to wear a maple leaf pin or Canadian flag pin.
10. Don't bring your kids unless there's nobody to look after them. Explain that polling stations are not places to play and they should be quiet and not go behind the screen at the voting station. Strictly speaking, the only people who should be in a polling station are EC workers and voters.
11. I have no idea what the rules are about masks in general. That may come down to whatever the local Returning Officer and municipality decide.
Anyway, that's off the top of my head. I'm really not happy about this election being called during a pandemic, just halfway through the mandate. We've already got municipal elections going on in Alberta, and given how many municipal issues are directly driven by the idiots in the provincial government, it's like two elections at once already (3 if you count the idiocy of holding a senate vote and the PM doesn't even have to appoint the winner).
