Feature Article November 6, 2003
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeGodfrey Residents Left off Voting ListMail-in voting has made it easier for many people to vote in rural Ontario, leading to a large increase in voter turnout. But for those who find themselves left off the voting list, it can make it difficult to vote.
Thats what happened to Gord Goodberry and several of his neighbours, all of whom live on or near Echo Lake road in the Godfrey area (Ward 4 in Central Frontenac).
I think in my case it will mean I wont get a chance to vote unless I hurry up to Sharbot Lake on election day, said Goodberry in a telephone interview with the News. What I dont understand is how I could be left off when I received a ballot for the last election and I havent moved.
Central Frontenac township clerk Heather Fox said there have been a few people who were inadvertently left off the list this time, although not as many as in the last election.
The electoral list is prepared for the township by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). Clerk Gord Burns of South Frontenac said that although the township provides MPAC with updated information after elections and in between elections, this information does not seem to always make its way onto the voters list.
In the Echo Lake Road cases, however, names were removed from the list for no apparent reason.
In order for eligible voters to get their name on he voters list if they have not received a ballot, they must present themselves at their local township office during business hours, where they can fill out a form and receive a ballot. Anyone who resides in a township on voting day, or owns property in that township, is eligible to vote.
Dan Scott, a neighbour of Gord Goodberry, made his way up to Sharbot Lake to vote last week. He said There was a question on the registration form about my religion, which I didnt think was relevant to my getting on the voting list. Clerk Fox explained the religion question is on the form in case there is a school board trustee contest and it must be determined if an individual should be registered for the Limestone or the Separate School Board.
Burns and Fox both mentioned that a notice was published in the newspaper and posted at township offices in early September when the voting list was received for this Novembers vote. It encouraged individuals to check with their township office to confirm that their name was on the list.
If their name was not on the list, there was time to mail them a form to fill out, and get it back to our office in time to send them a ballot in the mail, Fox said.
Gord Goodberry said it would be good if the township of Central Frontenac opened their office on Saturday of this week in order to give working people who didnt receive ballots and live far from the township office a chance to get out and vote.
There have always been names missed on the voting list, said Bill Snyder, a councillor in Ward 4 of Central Frontenac who is seeking re-election, but in the past you could get sworn in at the polling stations that were located close to a persons home. Now, they have to travel up to half an hour away, which is not so easy for many people.
Those who did not receive a ballot in the mail are encouraged to contact their township office as soon as possible.
It is also too late, even for local residents, to send mail in ballots to township offices for this election. Ballots now should be brought to the polling stations at township offices before 8:00 pm on Monday, November 10.
