Information for Voters

• You must be a Canadian citizen 
• You must be at least 18 years old
• You must reside in Alberta, and 
• Your place of residence (the place where you eat, sleep and intend to return to when away) is located in the local jurisdiction (Medicine Hat) on Election Day

All voters must show identification. Your ID must be issued by a Canadian government (federal, provincial, or local) or a government agency, and must meet these rules:

If you ARE on the List of Electors

• Your ID must contain your photo and your name.

If you ARE NOT on the List of Electors 

• Your ID must contain your photo, your name, and your home address.

What if I don't have a Photo ID?

If you do not have a driver’s license or Alberta I.D. Card, you must produce one piece of identification from the following list prior to voting. Electronic versions of these documents will be accepted. The identification must establish your name and current address.

• Utility bill: e.g. telephone, public utilities, commission, television, gas, or water
• Residential lease or mortgage statement.
• Statement of government benefits: e.g. employment insurance, old-age security, social assistance, disability support, or child tax benefit.
• Bank/credit card statement or personal cheque.
• Pension plan statement of benefits, contributions, or participation.
• Government cheque or cheque stub.
• Insurance policy or coverage card.
• Vehicle ownership or insurance certificate.

A letter or form (attestation) confirming that the voter lives at the stated address will also be accepted as valid proof of eligibility to vote. The letter can be signed prior to the vote by any of the following:

• authorized representative of a commercial property management company;
• authorized representative of a correctional institution;
• authorized representative of a First Nations band or reserve;
• authorized representative of a post-secondary institution;
• authorized representative of a facility that provides services to the homeless; or
• authorized representative of a supportive living facility or treatment centre.

If you do not have any pieces of identification listed above, you may bring a person with you that knows you, to vouch that you are eligible to vote. That person must:

• be eligible to vote themselves
• have their name on the List of Electors
• only vouch for you or other eligible members of your household

No, however, you may only vote once for each candidate and only up to the number of candidates to be elected to the office.

If you are an employee and a voter, you have the right to have three hours in a row to vote while the voting station is open. If your work hours don’t give you three hours to vote, your employer must provide you extra time so you have three hours in total. Your employer can decide when to provide you this time. For example, if you finish work at 5 p.m., you already have three hours to vote between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. However, if you finish work at 6 p.m. (and were not able to vote in the morning), you employer could let you leave at 5 p.m. to ensure you have the required three hours.

No. If you own property in more than one town or city, you can only vote in one of them. According to the Local Authorities Elections Act, you should vote in the place where you typically reside.

No. You would not meet the ‘eligibility to vote’ criteria, as your place of residence must be located in the local jurisdiction (Medicine Hat) on Election Day.

Yes, a renter can vote if they meet the ‘eligibility to vote’ criteria above.

If you are a student who rents a place to live while attending school in Medicine Hat, but normally lives with your family in another jurisdiction, you are considered to live with your family. This means you cannot vote in Medicine Hat, however, you may be able to vote where your family lives if you meet the voting rules for that area.

No. You may vote for either a public or separate (Catholic) school board trustee depending on residency. Residency is determined by faith. If you reside within the boundaries of a separate (Catholic) school district and share the same faith (Catholic) as those who established the district, you are a resident of the separate school district, not of the public school district. 

A candidate may start campaigning at any time. Candidates may put up signs along boulevards and roads provided the sign does not pose a traffic safety hazard. Signage in City parks is prohibited.

A candidate, an official agent or scrutineer for a particular candidate may be in the voting station, however, they may not all be in a voting station at the same time during voting hours.

Election results are considered official at 12 noon on the fourth day after Election Day.

If a tie determines who is elected or not, the Retuning Officer writes the names of those candidates on separate pieces of paper and “draws a name from a hat”. The name on the withdrawn paper is considered to receive one more vote.