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EDITORIAL: Get out and vote

Election day is May 9 but advance polls open again Wednesday
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Advance voting opens again Wednesday through Saturday, May 6. Black Press file photo

We write some version of this editorial every election and it really should go without saying, but we’re going to say it again and again until everyone does it. Get out and vote.

We don’t want to hear the excuses. Just go do it.

This year we celebrated the 100th anniversary since women earned the right to vote in B.C. That’s a right that they should not have had to fight for but they did and eventually they earned their say – and yours. Think about voting as a way to honour those who have fought for your right to do so.

Voting is a chance for you to have a say in what this province will look like in the coming years. So don’t miss this opportunity to have your voice heard, there’s not too many opportunities at the provincial level so seize them when they come.

If you can’t make it to the polls next Tuesday, there are a number of other options. Advance polls opened last weekend and will be open again today (May 3) through Saturday, May 6. These stations – and the ones on May 9 – will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., offering the flexibility to fit most schedules.

In the 2013 provincial general election, more than 20 per cent of votes were cast at advance voting opportunities. That translated to roughly 367,000 people voting before election day.

In light of that, Elections BC has added two days for advance voting, bringing the total to six. When added to election day, that’s an entire week where you have the opportunity to cast a ballot at any time during that 12 hour window. That’s a pretty big window.

But during the last provincial election, only about 55 per cent of eligible voters voted.

That’s down from the roughly 70 per cent that voted in the 1983 election, the roughly 64 per cent that voted in the 1991 election and the roughly 58 per cent that voted in the 2005 election.

What would those women have said if they would have known that 100 years ago?

We don’t care who you vote for – you can even cast a blank or spoiled ballot in protest – just make sure you have your voice heard by the time the polls close on May 9.

To find out where to vote on the West Shore, go to elections.bc.ca/wtv.