'It's all hands on deck': Elections Canada says it's ready for final day of voting
Between noon and 4 p.m. is usually the least busy time to vote, says spokesperson
Elections Canada says it's in the business of making it easy to vote and the rules around voting Monday are designed to protect the integrity of the vote.
That includes emptying ballot boxes onto a table later tonight and inspecting every vote in front of designated observers, including candidates or their representatives.
As for resources, the number of places to vote today is four times greater than what was open during advance polling and many more people will be working.
"It's all hands on deck," said Françoise Enguehard, the Atlantic media representative for Elections Canada.
A record-breaking advance turnout of 7.3 million voters sent a message.
"We've been working very hard to improve the service because we know there is quite an increase, by all indications, that there are many more people engaged so we have to be prepared for that," said Enguehard.
In addition to more polling places, within those locations, there will be more polling stations, which means the list of electors associated with each station will be smaller.
While the polls are open between 8:30 and 8:30 p.m. AT, the quietest time is usually noon to 4 p.m., said Enguehard, with a rush in the early morning and after work until the polls close.
The good news for stragglers standing in line at 8:30 p.m. is they will not be denied.
"If you're the last one in line before the door locks and you haven't voted, you will vote. If it takes until 10 o'clock to process everybody, you will vote," said Enguehard.
Elections Canada has hired some 250,000 workers to help serve about 28 million registered voters.
The only way to vote today is by going to your polling station in your federal riding, said Enguehard.
By law, employers must provide their workers with three consecutive hours to get to the polls.
People working nine-to-five should have no issue. They're off at 5 p.m. and the polls are open for another 3½ hours.
Wendy MacIntyre, a human resources consultant in P.E.I, said the rule protects people working shifts.
"If somebody's working a 12-hour shift, they don't have enough time to vote outside of those working hours," she said. "Then the employer has to allow them to have three hours, together, and it's paid."
She also provided an example of somebody working 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. They would need 30 minutes off at the start of their shift or three hours off the end of their shift, and it's up to the employer to decide.
In other countries, elections workers have faced scrutiny, criticism and harassment and Enguehard is aware of some of the suspicions circulating in Canada.
She's heard people question the pencils, wondering if their votes can be altered or erased.
If voters want to bring their own pens they can, but the provision of those pencils is written into the law.
"Each voting compartment shall be placed on a hard and smooth surface and shall have in it a suitable black lead pencil for the use of electors in marking their ballots," states Canada's Elections Act.
Counting process
After the ballots are counted, they are placed inside sealed envelopes, signed and stored at the Elections Canada office and after the election results are official, the poll bags are stored for 10 years.
"I don't know that you can call it archaic," said Enguehard. "It's a traditional way of voting and it's a way that has proven to be reliable and extremely safe.
"Sometimes I have the feeling that people think that we have rules so we can disenfranchise some people. But no, we work extremely hard at making sure ... that people have the best information, that they know what to do."
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