Get ready to vote in the October 19, 2015 federal election

An eleven week election campaign may seem like a long time but it will pass quickly. To be sure you are prepared to vote in the October 19, 2015 federal election, visit the Elections Canada website to make sure you are registered to vote and find out what federal electoral district you live in.

The federal electoral district boundaries have changed since the last election and six new ridings have been created in Alberta. There is a chance you may now live in a different electoral district than you did in the 2011 federal election.

How to vote

Voting stations will be open for twelve hours on October 19, 2015. Voters who have already registered should receive a voter identification card in the mail by October 1, 2015. This card will include the address of your voting station.

Elections Canada allows voters several ways to vote if they cannot cast their ballot in-person on October 19, 2015.

• Advance voting will take place on October 9, 10, 11 and 12.
• Canadians living abroad can vote by mail. The deadline to apply to vote by mail is Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. eastern time.

Know your candidates

I am maintaining a list of federal candidates running in Alberta ridings and will continue to update the list as new candidates are nominated. According to Elections Canada, an full official list of federal candidates will be listed online on September 30, 2015.

Watch the debate

It appears that the only televised debate between party leaders during the 11-week election campaign will be held on August 6, 2015. The debate will be hosted by Maclean’s Magazine and broadcast on CityTV and the internet from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Alberta time.

How long?

At 78 days, this is Canada’s longest federal election period in more than 100 years. The 2011 and 2008 elections were each 37 days long and the 2006 election was 55 days long. Alberta’s recent provincial election was 28 days long. The federal election of 1872 stretched 96 days long.