November 14, 2002

The City of Vancouver is expecting heavy voter turn-out on election day November 16.

Chief Election Officer Syd Baxter says, "We are very pleased with the number of people who have voted so far in this election. Our advance polls were extremely busy (6,306 people voted in four days, compared with 2,945 in six days of advance polls in 1999 -- an increase of 114 per cent). Based on that turn-out, we think the number of voters on election day will also be up significantly. This shows genuine interest and appreciation of the importance of civic government on the part of the electorate."

"We want to encourage people to vote on Saturday November 16. The polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and there is a voting place in your neighbourhood -- 139 voting places are spread across the city. We have staffed the polls expecting a large turn-out, but we still want to prepare people for the crowds that may attend, and ask for their patience as City staff help voters decide who will form the next civic government."

Here are some things voters can do to speed up the voting process:

If you are already registered:
You should have received a "Where to Vote" card from the Vancouver Election Office in the mail. Bring the card with you to your voting place.

If you are registering on voting day:
Bring two pieces of identification with you. One piece of ID must have your signature.
A list of acceptable kinds of ID is at www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/vote
Be prepared to line up to register at your voting place.

If you don’t know your voting place:
If you received a "Where to Vote" card, it shows the address of your voting place.
or go to the City’s Web site at www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/vote and use the voting place search tool.
or call the Vancouver Election Office at 604-873-7681.

For more information:
Vancouver Election Office
604-873-7681
www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/vote

(c) 2002 City of Vancouver