Advance voting underway in Ottawa municipal election

Four days of advance voting are underway in Ottawa for the Oct. 24 municipal election.

If you’ve already decided who you’d like to see as mayor, ward councillor and school board trustee, advance polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

"Today is an exciting day," Ottawa's manager of Municipal Elections Michele Rochette said. "It's our special advance voting, it really is the first opportunity for electors to vote in person."

During this voting event, voting places use an electronic Voters’ List and will offer “anywhere voting”. You can vote at any of the following nine voting places across the City of Ottawa, regardless of your address:

• François Dupuis Recreation Centre, 2263 Portobello Blvd.
• St-Laurent Complex, 525 Côté St.
• City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave. W.
• Greenboro Community Centre, 363 Lorry Greenberg Dr.
• Minto Recreation Complex – Barrhaven, 3500 Cambrian Rd.
• Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave.
• Michele Heights Community Centre, 2955 Michèle Dr.
• Richcraft Recreation Complex – Kanata, 4101 Innovation Dr.
• CARDELREC Recreation Complex Goulbourn, 1500 Shea Rd.

These special advance voting days come one month before the municipal election. There will be two other advance voting days prior to Oct. 24; however to vote in advance polls on Oct. 7 and 14, you must go to a designated polling station, as opposed to any of the locations above this weekend.

An eligible elector in Ottawa must be:

• a resident of the City of Ottawa, or an owner or tenant of land in the City, or the spouse of such an owner or tenant;
• a Canadian citizen;
• at least 18 years old; and
• not prohibited from voting by law

"It's important to vote because if you don't you won't get the people you want," said Joyce Crago after voting on Saturday.

"I know someone who is running for mayor, so that's important to me – homelessness, better LRT; the LRT is horrible and I don't have a car."

Richard Lee just moved to Ottawa this summer, registering to vote in the municipal election.

"Given everything that is happening in the world right now to not exercise your vote seems so foolish to me," Lee said.

"It’s a right we have here in Canada that I think we take for granted and I think its really important regardless of which candidate to make your opinion heard."

There are 14 people running for mayor, 106 people vying for 24 council seats, and 83 people registered to become trustees in one of Ottawa’s four school boards. Eight school board trustee candidates will be acclaimed because they had no opponents as of the registration deadline in August.

Rochette says the city of Ottawa is still looking for election workers for advance voting days on Oct. 7 and 14, and to work on election day.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Shaun Vardon