Advance voting begins in Winnipeg for 2022 municipal election

Winnipeggers who can't wait to mark their ballot in this month's municipal election don't have to wait anymore.

Advance voting starts Monday at two locations, with many more being added around the city — at community centres, universities, shopping malls and even one of the city's skywalks — over the next several days.

"These are just a few of the 140 different locations we'll be visiting in advance leading up to election day," Marc Lemoine, deputy city clerk and senior election official, told CBC Manitoba's Information Radio guest host Faith Fundal on Monday.

Some will only be open for a few days, others for weeks, with the last one closing Oct. 21.

Manitoba's municipal elections are Oct. 26.

The two advance polling locations open Monday are at city hall and the skywalk bridge between Canada Life Centre and Cityplace.

The city hall site is inside the west committee room on the second floor of the council building at 510 Main St. It is open 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. most of the time, though the hours differ on some days. The building will be closed on weekends and Thanksgiving.

The skywalk location, only available this week from Monday to Wednesday, is open 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Over the next three weeks, polling stations will open in the city's major malls: Oct. 7-9 in Polo Park, Kildonan Place and Grant Park, and then Oct. 14-16 at Garden City and St. Vital shopping centres.

Ikea will also host a polling station Oct. 14-16.

Voting will be available at post secondary institutions starting Tuesday at the University of Winnipeg (Oct. 4-5) and then next week at the University of Manitoba (Oct. 11-12) and Red River College Polytechnic (Oct. 12-13).

Voters can also stop in at the Youth for Christ gymnasium, at 333 King St., on Oct. 4 and 5.

All locations at community and leisure centres will be open from Oct. 18-20 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. That includes the Manitoba Islamic Association Grand Mosque on Waverley Street.

Election day and advance voting locations can also be found by filling in an address on the city's Where Do I Vote site.

Accessibility options

For those with special accessibility requirements, there are lots of options, Lemoine said.

"You can always have someone at the polls assist you. All our workers have taken the oath of secrecy so they can help you out," he said, and people can also bring a friend to help them out.

"But if you do want to vote independently, we do have accessible machines at city hall, at all the mall [sites], and we're also going out to the community advances later on in October."

For those with sight impairments, headphones are available to hear the names of the candidates read out loud. A vote can then be cast by pressing a button when the candidate's name comes up.

Voters' cards will soon be sent to the 520,000 people on the municipal voters list for Winnipeg. They will include information on where to vote on election day.

In order to vote, you have to be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 on Oct. 26, and have lived in the city for at least six months before election day.

And don't forget to bring ID.

"Everyone does need to show ID in order to vote — just something proving your name and your current home address," Lemoine said.

"That'll be something like a driver's licence [but] if you don't have a driver's licence, any other two pieces together that actually form proof of your name and current address. Both have to have your name on it and at least one has to have your current address."