Windsor advance polls offering drive-thru voting
Windsor residents can begin casting their votes in the upcoming municipal election this week, with advance polls opening up Wednesday.
The first of eight early voting opportunities opens at 10 a.m. Oct. 5 at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex, closing at 8 p.m.
When the weekend rolls around, voters can head to Mic Mac Park on the city’s west side to cast an early vote without even having to leave their vehicle.
Terri Knight Lapain, manager of records and elections for the City of Windsor, says drive-thru voting is back by popular demand, after being used in the 2020 Ward 7 by-election.
“The original thought was it would just be something that people could stay in their vehicle if they were comfortable with that, maybe we do 100 ballots through the drive-thru, but it actually was wildly successful,” says Knight Lapain.
In the end, she says almost 50 per cent of votes cast in the by-election were done so via drive -thru.
In that election, the option was offered at the WFCU centre — and it will return there next weekend, though it will look a little different.
Then, and this weekend at Mic Mac Park, Knight Lapain says lines might look long from the entry way, but cars will diverge into four separate lanes.
Cars will pull into tents and ballots will be handed out, concealed in a security sleeve for you to mark.
Multiple voters can even carpool — and Knight Lapain says there will be options for cyclists and pedestrians on site.
“We do encourage people to take transit even to the drive-thru voting,” she says.
“Walk, cycle, bike, scooter, whatever you want to do.”
Drivers will be greeted by staff in orange vests who will offer direction – and Knight Lapain says voters taking alternate forms of transit an approach those employees to be directed to the polling station, thus not be made to wait amongst cars.
“We’re ready for it, we’re excited about it,” says Knight Lapain.
Will drive thru voting boost turnout?
“In the automotive capital of Canada, I don’t think it should surprise anyone that we have drive-thru voting,” says Jon Liedtke, co-host of the Rose City Politics podcast.
“It’s just so Windsor.”
Voter turnout, just one topic touched upon by the hosts of Rose City Politics on their weekly show.
For Windsor’s 2018 municipal election, 35.21 per cent of eligible voters came out to vote — that figure, even lower than turnout to this summer’s historically low provincial election, which saw 43.53 per cent.
“It’s another tool, right?” adds Don Merrifield Jr. one of the shows other co-hosts.
“We’ve kind of made some jokes about it but it is another way to get people to vote. And I think that’s important in municipal elections. Make it as easy as possible and hopefully we’ll get more turnout.”
A full list of advance voting locations and times can be found online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.