What you need to know to vote on Feb 26th
Who are the candidates:
We have four declared leadership contenders. Click a candidate name to be taken to their official Leadership website.
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| George Abbott | Christy Clark | Mike de Jong | Kevin Falcon |
Note: When casting your ballot you will be required to vote for at least two candidates (your first preference and your second preference).
What if I don’t get a PIN in the mail by Election Day?
To instantly obtain your PIN: We have established an online website where you can request an instant call to obtain your Voter PIN: http://www.bcliberals.com/PIN
If you are an eligible voter and on the official Voters List, but you did not get a PIN in the mail by Election Day, you can request a replacement PIN. If the party’s election authorities’ records indicate you were sent a PIN in the mail, that original PIN will be cancelled and cannot be used to cast a vote in the election. A replacement PIN will be issued to you if the original PIN has not been voted and you can provide an acceptable level of identification that can be verified over the phone.
Assistance is available via our Voter Help Line:
Phone: 1-888-281-8683 (toll free)
Hours of operation are:
7:00am to Midnight PST on Friday February 25.
5:00am to 5:00pm PST on Saturday, February 26.
When can you vote:
You can vote on Saturday February 26th, from 5am PST to 5pm PST.
How can I vote:
You have a choice to vote online or by phone using your personalized PIN. Please refer to the instructions on your voter letter, which will include your PIN, to find out the link to vote online or the number to call if you are voting by phone.
For web voters, the languages available online are English, French, Chinese and Punjabi. For phone voters, English is the only language option. The candidates will be presented in random order.
Who will get a Voter Letter with a PIN to vote in the election?
All qualified members of the party who were on the party’s official member list by February 4th, 2011 and were validated by the party, will be mailed a voter letter with a voting PIN.
Why would I not get a PIN in the mail?
You didn’t get a PIN in the mail one of two things may have happened. First, your name was not on the official Voters List. PINs are only mailed to voters whose names appear on the official Voters Lists as maintained by the party. Secondly, a PIN may have been mailed to you and it has been delayed for some reason in the mail system.
How do I vote if I am away from home, out of town, out of the province, or out of the country?
You can vote during the election voting period using the internet - from anywhere in the world. You can also use telephone service and connect to the voting system toll free from anywhere in North America simply by dialing the toll free number contained in your voter letter. You will need to make arrangements to have your unique PIN relayed to you after it arrives by mail at your household. The mailing of PINs cannot be redirected to any address other than your residential address.
Once I have my PIN, do I have to register in advance if I want to use either the telephone or the internet to cast my vote?
No, there is no registration required. On Election Day, using your PIN, you can use either the telephone or the internet to cast your vote.
What if I lose or misplace my PIN?
If a voter loses or misplaces their PIN they should contact the Voter Help Line. The election officials can decide to replace the missing PIN if it has not already been voted. They will determine if they can decide to allow Voter Help Line election officials to authenticate the caller and issue a replacement PIN over the phone. The original lost or missing PIN will be cancelled and it will not be able to be voted in the election.
If I am using the telephone to vote, how will I know what number to press to vote for the candidate of my choice or what if I make a mistake and select a different candidate than I one I want to vote for?
When you connect to the system, it lists the eligible candidates with a corresponding number and instructs you to select the corresponding number for that candidate.
For example:
“To select Joe Howe – Press 1.”
“To select Jane Doe – Press 2.”
“To select Fred Dunn – Press 3.”
Once you enter the corresponding number, the system will state it is “Recording your Selection” and then instruct you to “Make your next selection now”. You will continue making your selections and once completed, the system will verify your selection with a statement, and ask you to confirm your selection.
Example: “Your first choice is Fred Dunn, your second choice is Jane Doe, your third choice is Joe Howe, (and so on listing all your choices).
The system then instructs you to confirm your selection or if you would like to change your selection, you are instructed to press the zero key.
“To confirm this selection, press the pound (#) key now. To change your selection press zero (0) now.”
If you want to change your selection you would press zero (0) and make your change at this time. It is only after you have confirmed your selection with the pound key (#) that your vote for those candidates will be “dropped into the ballot box”. You will get a confirmation message once your vote has been deposited in the virtual ballot box.
Once a vote has been confirmed, can it be changed?
No. Once a vote has been confirmed it cannot be changed.
What if I have a rotary phone at home, no cell phone and don’t have a computer with internet service. How can I vote?
You do not have to vote from home. You can vote from any location using any phone with touch tone service or from any computer.
If someone calls me and asks for my PIN, what should I do?
You should treat your voter PIN with the same level of secrecy and confidentially you reserve for your bank card and PIN. Do not give your PIN to anyone who may call or approach you for the number.
Could someone steal my PIN and vote it?
Stealing and opening another person’s mail is illegal. It is also illegal to represent yourself as another person and steal their right to vote in an election. Both these acts are illegal and have penalties defined by law. If you know someone has voted your PIN illegally you should report it to the party’s officials.
What do I do if I am not sure if I successfully completed the ballot?
Connect to the voting system and input your PIN. After you enter your PIN the system will either bring you up the leadership race or it will tell you that the PIN is no longer valid. The PIN will only be deemed invalid if the ballot has been successfully voted. If you have not completed the race properly, the system will offer you the opportunity to vote in the election.
Is there an advanced poll?
No, the BC Liberal Party Constitution does not allow for advanced polls.
How are the votes counted?
This Leadership Vote will be conducted using preferential balloting where you will rank the candidates in order of your preference. You will be required to vote for at least two candidates (your first preference and your second preference).
Ballots are weighted equally in each electoral district and translated into a system of points. For a candidate to be elected Leader, they must receive more than 50% of the available points across British Columbia. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the available points, the last-place candidate, province-wide, is dropped from the count and the second choices from those ballots are counted toward the totals for each of the remaining candidates. This process continues until a candidate has a majority of points and is elected Leader.
How are the results known on Election Night?
The BC Liberal Party's Election Night Headquarters is the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre (West). As results are known sometime after 6:00pm, they will be made available through major media and on bcliberals.com.
