Voting begins Friday in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun byelection

Advance voting for a record-setting federal byelection starts Friday Sept. 6 in the Montreal riding of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun. 

“Everything seems to be going really smoothly,” said Matthew McKenna, Elections Canada spokesperson.

Voters should present themselves to the polling station indicated on the back of their voter information card and will be asked to provide proof of ID and address. 

“Oftentimes that can be done with one document,” said McKenna. “If it’s a government issued photo ID with your current address, like a driver’s license or a health card, then you’re pretty much good to go.”

Otherwise, you can use a combination of different pieces of identification. The list can be found on the Elections Canada website.

It will be the longest ballot in Canadian federal elections with a whopping 91 candidates. Votes will be cast using a specially created two-column ballot. Elections Canada has warned that results after the polls close at 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 may take longer than usual to verify.

Advance voting runs from Sept. 6 to Sept. 9 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and the deadline to apply to vote by mail is Sept. 10. An Elections Canada office has been set up at 8200 George Street on the second floor said McKenna.

“That’s the central hub where the election is being coordinated,” he said. “You can go into that office and you can vote by special ballot at any time… It’s a helpful option for folks who can’t make it to advanced polls or on election day.”

More information about accessibility support can be found on the Elections Canada FAQ page.

It’s slated to be a tight race even though the riding has been held by the Liberals since its creation in 2015.

David Lametti, former Justice Minister, stepped down from his seat this January.

Despite nearly a hundred candidates, there are four frontrunners.

Duking it out are Laura Palestini, Liberal Party candidate, and Craig Sauvé, NDP candidate, both popular city councilors, as well as Bloc candidate Louis-Philippe Sauvé and Louis Ialenti for the Conservative party.

LaSalle–Émard–Verdun’s plentiful candidates surpasses the previous record of 84, which happened this summer in the Toronto–St. Paul’s byelection. The results from that election were announced by 4:30 a.m. the day after polls closed.