How and where to vote today in Nunavut and Iqaluit

Here’s where Iqaluit voters must go to cast ballots today in the federal election: the Iqaluit Cadet Hall, where polls open at 9:30 a.m. and close at 9:30 p.m. For the Iqaluit municipal elections, voters will go to the Anglican Parish Hall or the Abe Okpik Hall in Apex. Iqaluit municipal polling stations will open at 10 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. (FILE PHOTO)

Today, Oct. 19, is federal election day across Canada and municipal election day in Iqaluit.

Eligible Nunavut voters will cast ballots in an election to choose a member of the House of Commons. That vote pits incumbent Conservative MP Leona Aglukkaq against Jack Anawak of the New Democratic party, Hunter Tootoo of the Liberals and Spencer Rocchi of the Greens.

At the same time, Iqaluit voters will choose a mayor, eight city councillors and six members for the Iqaluit District Education Authority.

Here’s some information to help Nunavut readers figure out how and where to vote.

Federal election

Local voting hours across Nunavut’s three time zones are staggered so that ballot counting will start simultaneously when polls close.

Here’s how it will work:

• Baffin and Nunavik: polls open 9:30 a.m. and close 9:30 p.m.

• Kivalliq: polls open 8:30 a.m. and close 8:30 p.m.

• Kitikmeot: polls open 7:30 a.m. and close 7:30 p.m.

If you live outside Iqaluit, the best way to locate the polling station in your community is to ask at the hamlet office.

In Iqaluit, federal voters will cast ballots at the Iqaluit Cadet Hall, building 944.

Elections Canada does host a web page that is supposed to help you find your polling station.

But beware — it doesn’t seem to work for most Nunavut communities.

To vote you need to prove your identity and your current address. The easiest way to do that is to provide one piece of government-issued identification that includes your photo and your address.

If you can’t do that, there are other options, which you can read about on this Elections Canada webpage.

You can also get the administrator of a shelter, soup kitchen, student residence, or care facility to sign a Letter of Confirmation of Residence. If you get such a letter, you only need a second piece of ID to vote.

You’ll have four federal candidates to choose from in Nunavut:

• Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative party of Canada;

• Jack Anawak, the New Democratic party;

• Spencer Rocchi, Green party; and

• Hunter Tootoo, the Liberal party of Canada.

Results for the federal election are expected to start rolling in after polls close at 9:30 p.m. eastern time.

Iqaluit municipal election

On Oct. 19, Iqaluit residents will also vote in a municipal election.

Iqaluit municipal polls open at the Anglican Parish Hall and, for Apex voters, at the Abe Okpik Hall at 10 a.m. Polls close at 7 p.m.

To vote in the municipal election you must be a Canadian citizen aged 18 years or older as of Oct. 19, and must have lived in Iqaluit for the past 12 months.

Iqalungmiut will have three candidates from whom to choose a mayor:

• Noah Papatsie;

• Madeleine Redfern; and,

• Mary Wilman.

For Iqaluit City Council, nine candidates are vying for eight seats:

• Joanasie Akumalik;

• Terry Dobbin;

• Lynda Gunn;

• Gideonie Joamie;

• Kuthula Matshazi;

• Simon Nattaq;

• Megan Pizzo-Lyall;

• Jason Rochon; and,

• Romeyn Stevenson.

You may vote for between one and eight council candidates, but for no more than eight. After ballots are counted, the eight candidates who rank from one to eight will win seats on council.

After the Iqaluit District Education Authority extended its nomination deadline by one week, eight people ended up nominated for six seats:

• Lana Dawiskiba;

• Bryan Drachenberg;

• Sherene Gissing;

• Pascal MacLellan;

• Randy Pittman;

• Alden Williams;

• Andrea Witzaney-Chown; and,

• Doug Workman.

You may vote for between one and six Iqaluit DEA candidates.

But there were fewer nominees than the number of available seats on the Apex District Education Authority and the Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut.

For seven vacant seats on the Apex DEA, only four people were nominated. That means Anne Crawford, Kerry McCluskey, Joseph Paul Murdoch-Flowers and Corenna Nuyalia will gain seats by acclamation.

For three vacant seats on the CSFN, only two people were nominated. Myriam Girard and Daniel Hillman will each gain seats by acclamation.

Tania Scott, chief electoral officer, said she will use an electronic vote-counting device after polls close at 7 p.m., Oct. 19. For that reason, results should be available quickly, she said.

Scott said Iqaluit election results will likely be posted at around 8 or 8:30 p.m. at this website.