How to vote early and by mail in Calgary's municipal election

There are several changes to Calgary's municipal election this year to make the process easier for voters, says Elections Calgary.

This October, Calgary will have37 advance votingstations and 188election day voting stations which combined is33 more stations than the 2017 election.

The early voting period runs Oct. 4 to Oct. 10, and the general election day is Oct. 18.

• Everything you need to know about Calgary's municipalelection

More hours have been added for the advance vote, which will runMonday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On election day, voters will be able to go to the polls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The citywill serve those being treated in hospital by putting up additional polling stations atFoothills Hospital, Peter LougheedCentre, Rockyview General Hospital and South Calgary Health Centre.

Voting stations will have a variety of COVID-19 protocols, such as capacity limits, physical distancing and other current public health regulations.

Mail-in ballots

Calgarianswho have already requested special mail-in ballots shouldstart receiving them after Sept. 27.

According to Elections Calgary, mail-in ballots are for eligible voters who areunable to vote on election datesbecause:

• They havedisability or illness.
• They will be away from their place of residence.
• They are an election worker, a candidate, campaign worker or scrutineer.

Once voters receive the packages, they need to follow the instructions to fill out the ballots and envelope correctly, the city says. This includes providing a photocopy of an authorized form of identification along with mail-in ballots.

A list of authorized identification can be found atelectionscalgary.ca.

Once completed, the ballot packages can be returned by mail, in person at the Elections Calgary office, or at one of the six secure drop boxes throughout the city.

Here are the drop-box locations:

• Country Hills Library. Located within the Vivo complex.
• Nose Hill Library.
• Fish Creek Library.
• Seton Library. Located within the Seton Y complex.
• Elections Office, 2340 22nd Street N.E.
• City Hall Municipal Building, 24-hour secure drop box. East side of building that faces the Central Library.

In order to be counted, ballots must be correctly filled out and returned in the envelope provided and received by Elections Calgary no later than 4 p.m. on Oct.18.