Candidates can enter Sept. 16 Tununiq byelection race this week

Pond Inlet residents interested in contesting the Sept. 16 byelection for the Nunavut legislative assembly constituency of Tununiq can submit declarations of candidacy to the local returning officer starting today, Aug. 12, Elections Nunavut says.

Also on Aug. 12, Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak is expected to issue a formal writ for the byelection. However, the Sept. 16 date for the special vote was set last April.

ᒥᑦᑎᒪᑕᓕᖕᒥᐅᑕᓄᑦ: ᑐᓄᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᐅᑉ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᖓ ᐅᒃᑯᐃᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐋᒋᓯ 12-ᒥᑦ 15-ᒧᑦ (12-ᒥᑦ 7-ᒧᑦ ᐅᓐᓄᒃᓴᒃᑯᑦ) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐋᒋᓯ 16-ᒥᑦ (9-ᒥᑦ ᐅᑉᓛᒃᑯᑦ 7-ᒧᑦ ᐅᓐᓄᒃᓴᒃᑯᑦ) ᐊᔪᕿᖅᑐᐃᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂᑦ.

— Elections Nunavut ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ (@elections_nu) August 9, 2019

To be eligible to run in the byelection, you must be a Canadian citizen, 18 years of age or older and have been a Nunavut resident for at least one year prior to election day.

And because it’s a byelection, you must also be a resident of Tununiq as of the day the byelection writ is issued.

Returning officer Nina Kautuq and assistant returning officer Junice Aksarjuk will maintain an office at the Anglican parish hall in Pond Inlet from 12 noon to 7 p.m. each day.

They’ll accept declarations of candidacy until the deadline of Aug. 16 at 2 p.m.

Residents of Pond Inlet: the Tununiq Returning Officer’s office will be open Aug. 12-15 (12pm-7pm) & Aug. 16 (9am-7pm) at the Anglican Parish Hall. Declaration of Candidacy will be accepted until Aug. 16 at 2pm.

— Elections Nunavut ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ (@elections_nu) August 9, 2019

How to vote

If you’re a Tununiq resident, you can vote at the high school gymnasium on election day, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Also, you can vote early at the office of the returning officer each day from Sept. 2 to Sept. 11, from 12 noon until 7 p.m.

And Elections Nunavut will do a mobile poll on Sept. 9 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Tununiq seat, which comprises Pond Inlet, became vacant following the death of veteran MLA and regional leader Joe Enook this past March 29.

Enook, who was first elected to the seat in 2011, was re-elected in the Oct. 30, 2017, territorial election and in November 2017 was chosen to serve as Speaker.