For the first time in Nova Scotia, electronic tablets will be used for early in-person voting.

Nova Scotians are set to go to the polls on November 26, but many will vote before that date. Here’s everything you need to know to vote in the provincial election.

Get on the voter list

Voters can register by mail or email at download the application form Nova Scotia Elections website and following the instructions. Submit the form by email to [email protected] or to:

• Information Systems and Technology Manager, PO Box 2246, Halifax, NS, B3J 3C8

You can also register online to vote or update your address on the electoral register.

To be on the Nova Scotia electoral roll and eligible to vote in this provincial election, you must:

• Be a Canadian citizen.
• You must be at least 18 years old on Election Day.
• Live in Nova Scotia for at least six months before the election is called.

Already registered voters

Nova Scotians already registered to vote Voter Information Card will no longer be mailed. This is due to a possible Canada Post strike.

If you are unsure whether you are registered, call Elections Nova Scotia at 1-800-565-1504. You will be asked to provide personal information such as your date of birth to verify your identity.

How and where to vote

During provincial elections, voters can vote until Election Day or in person on November 26th. There are 24 voting days in total, including Election Day, which Elections Nova Scotia says is one of the largest polling days. days in the country.

Early voting options include returning office voting, community voting, provisional voting or write-in voting. Online voting for provincial elections is not yet available.

During early voting, you can vote from anywhere in the province, meaning you can go to any polling station in Nova Scotia and vote for the candidate of your choice in your constituency.

This “vote anywhere” option ends on Saturday, November 23rd. Voters will then only be able to vote at their local drop-in office or their designated polling location on Election Day.

On Election Day, voters must cast their ballots at their designated polling place.

Voters can find a polling location near them by entering their address into the “Where I Vote” tool on the site Nova Scotia elections website.

New electronic tablet voting system

For the first time in a provincial general election, electronic tablet voting will be used during early voting, which Elections Nova Scotia calls “e-ballots.” There will be no paper ballots used until Election Day unless the mail-in ballot option is used.

The new system was developed because of the amount of time it would take to count early votes after polls closed in previous elections.

Naomi Shelton, director of policy and communications for the Nova Scotia Elections Commission, said the majority of ballots were cast before Election Day in the 2017 general election.

“We were counting into the wee hours of the next morning, so we came up with a solution. We decided to digitize the counting of early votes, and that meant those votes could be counted quickly, essentially at the touch of a button,” Shelton said. .

“This means that most of the votes can be counted in advance.”

When registering at a voting location, residents receive a paper envelope with a barcode. They will go behind the voting booth and present the bar code to the scanner. The ballot will then load onto the tablet screen and the voter will make their choice. He then prints out a paper copy of the ballot, which voters fold and insert into the provided envelope and then insert into the ballot box like a traditional ballot.

The printed ballot is for backup purposes in case of electronic failure and for post-election auditing purposes.

There are also written instructions inside the voting booth to guide voters through the process.

Shelton said the new system had been used successfully in the Preston and Pictou West by-elections.

If for any reason the electronics fail, contingency kits are available with traditional paper ballots, Shelton said.

Voting at the returning office

Nova Scotians can vote early at any returning office every day except Sunday up to and including the Saturday before Election Day. Offices are open from 9:00 to 18:00; they will be open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm on the Thursday and Friday immediately before Election Day.

Elections Nova Scotia says that on the Monday before Election Day, as well as on Election Day itself, people can vote at the election office in their constituency or at their designated polling location.

Vote in a Community Poll or Pre-Poll

Residents who want to vote early can also visit the community and take surveys in advance. People can vote in any community or pre-vote in the province between November 16 and 23.

These polling stations are open from 9:00 to 18:00 and are closed on Sundays.

Information about your nearest community or pre-poll can be found by visiting the Election Nova Scotia website or calling 1-800-565-1504.

Voting on Election Day

Nova Scotians can vote in person on Election Day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at their designated polling location or polling location in their constituency.

Voting by write-in ballot

All eligible voters can apply to vote using write-in voting. This can be done:

• By mail.
• Through an agent.
• Personally.
• Home visiting team.

All write-in ballots must be returned by 8:00 pm on Election Day to be counted.

You can designate a trusted friend or family member 18 years of age or older to act as your agent, or you can make an appointment through your local poll office to have a ballot completion team come to your home and help you vote.

Absentee voting is carried out every day, except Sunday, during the opening hours of the results collection office.

Other voters

Visit the Nova Scotia Elections website. for more information on how to vote if you are homeless, living in senior housing, in hospital, military personnel stationed outside of Nova Scotia, a university student in Nova Scotia, or incarcerated.