Vote by Mail
in Tiny Township
By Jack Ellis

As in 2003, you can vote in the November 13, 2006, municipal election in Tiny entirely by mailed-in ballot kits. The system worked quite well last time, with a turn-out of 48%.

The mail-in system levels the playing field for convenience of voting for all electors regardless of where they live. Thus, there is no excuse for not voting! This year’s election is especially important, since the Ontario government has enacted that municipal Councils will henceforth serve four year terms.

You are eligible to vote if on election day, November 13, 2006, you are:
• A resident or an owner or tenant of land in the Township of Tiny, or the spouse or same-sex partner of such an owner or tenant;
• A Canadian citizen;
• At least 18 years old on voting day; and
• Not prohibited from voting by law.

To check if you are on the Voters List you should:
• Visit the Township’s website, www.tiny.ca and click on Voters’ List Viewer under 2006 Municipal Election;
• Telephone the Clerk’s Office at 705-526-4204; or
• Visit the Municipal Office in person
Voters should also check that their correct mailing address is on the Voters’ List by calling the Municipal Office

Eligible persons who are not on the Voters’ List can be added by completing an Application to Amend the Voters’ List (Form EL15). This form is easy to complete, and can be obtained from the Township Office or online at the Township website noted above. Note that for many seasonal properties the current Voters’ List may reflect only the owner(s) registered on title. A spouse or partner not on title may have to be added by filing the form. You can be added to the Voters’ List at any time the Municipal Office is open, up to 8:00 pm on November 13th. The EL15 form can be brought in personally to the Office, mailed or faxed (705-526-2372). Except for election day itself, office hours are 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

How do you get your Vote by Mail kit?
• A Vote by Mail kit will be mailed during the week of October 17th to the home address on record for all persons on the Voters’ List as of October 6th. It will come from DataFix, which (despite its unfortunate sounding name) is the firm contracted by the Township to supply the election kits. Watch carefully for this distinctive package in your mail, and do not discard it as suspected junk mail!
• Persons added to the Voters’ List between October 6th and October 24th will be mailed a kit by the Township.
• Persons added to the Voters’ List between October 24th and election day will have to pick up their kit in person at the Municipal Office.

How do you actually vote using the kit?
• You complete and sign the Voter Declaration form included in the kit,
• You then mark the ballot contained in the kit, following the instruction sheet. Make clear, distinct marks because the ballots will be electronically scanned! You may vote for one candidate for Mayor, one for Deputy Mayor, up to three for Councilor, and one for School Board Trustee (according to which Board you support);
• You then insert the ballot into an inner ballot envelope (a secrecy envelope), which you then seal;
• Then place this form along with the inner envelope containing the ballot into the yellow business reply envelope, also sealing this. (This yellow outer mailing envelope has prepaid postage from within Canada).

The mail-in voting deadlines are as follows:
• November 3rd is the final recommended day to mail the return envelope back to Tiny from anywhere in Canada.
• If you miss this date, you may yourself deposit the return voting envelope in a ballot box in the Tiny Municipal Office during regular office hours or up to 8.00 pm on November 13th or have someone else deposit it for you
• Note that November 13 is the Remembrance Day holiday for the post office, so mailed votes must reach the Township by November 10.

What can go wrong?
• If you do not receive your Vote by Mail kit, or if the kit is incomplete, you may request another. You may obtain one in person at the Municipal Office by providing appropriate identification, or have it mailed to you upon verbal or written request. In either case you must sign an enclosed Replacement Ballot Application declaring that a replacement was issued.
• If, for any reason, your returned kit is not received, or is received after 8:00 pm on November 13th, your vote will not be counted.
• If you have not signed the Voter Declaration form, the Clerk will attempt to contact you and get you to sign it before 8:00 pm November 13th, otherwise your vote is rejected.
• If you put more than one ballot and/or declaration form in one return envelope, your vote may be rejected (unless the number of ballots equals the number of declaration forms).
• The usual reasons for rejecting a ballot as “spoiled” apply, such as making an identifying mark on the ballot, voting for more candidates than allowed, etc.

How are the votes counted?
• The ballot packages will be opened as they arrive, and sorted by poll in groups of 50. Candidates will be informed daily of the numbers returned, and the names of electors whose votes have been received.
• At 9:00 am on November 13th, the Council Chamber will become the tabulating centre. The sealed inner envelopes will be opened, the ballots removed, electronically scanned and the votes tabulated. Only poll officials, candidates and their scrutineers can be present for the count.
• When the count is complete, unofficial results will be posted in the Georgian Shores Swinging Seniors Centre, after approximately 9:00 pm on November 13th.
• The official result will be posted in the Township Office and on its website by 4:30 pm on November 15th.

Could you be disenfranchised?
• If you are a snowbird or other distant traveler, and will not be at your address of record in the days following October 17th, you may have someone re-direct your mail to you, wherever you are (assuming you will be in one place long enough to receive it). Hopefully, this will occur in time for you to mail the kit back to Tiny by the deadline of November 13th.
• If you are out of the country for a prolonged period (as I will be) and it is unlikely there will be time to have mail forwarded, you may provide your faraway address to the Clerk before October 6th. You must supply out-of-country return postage. Also, you will not likely have time for recourse to the remedies noted above for not receiving a kit, or getting an incomplete kit.

Hopefully, all voters will exercise their democratic right and VOTE!