If you are undecided, time's running out to make up your mind on who to vote for. The 2005 provincial election and referendum is only days away: this Tuesday, May 17. The polls will be open from 8 am to 8 pm.
To be eligible, you have to be 18 years of age on or before voting day; a Canadian citizen; and a resident of BC for the past six months.
General registration is now closed, but eligible voters can still register at their voting place, as long as they have two pieces of ID showing name, address, and signature.
Don't know where to vote? If you are already a registered voter, you should receive a "where to vote" card in the mail this week. If you're not registered, you won't receive a card, so here are the voting places on the islands:
Masset: Howard Phillips Community Hall
Old Massett: Village Council Office
Port Clements: Community Hall
Queen Charlotte: Queen Charlotte Visitor Info Centre
Sandspit: Lions' Hall
Skidegate: Community Hall
Tlell: Firehall/Post Office
(Note that the Queen Charlotte location has changed!)
On the ballot, there are four candidates vying for the position of Member of the Legislative Assembly for the North Coast region. Hondo Arendt, (Green Party), incumbent Bill Belsey (BC Liberals), Gary Coons (NDP), and David Johns (BC Marijuana Party).
In addition, there will be a referendum question, which will ask whether or not you support the changes to the electoral system as proposed by the Citizen's Assembly on Electoral Reform. For more information about the "single transferable vote" see last week's Observer or the Citizen's Assembly website or the Elections BC website, www.elections.bc.ca.