AFN Bulletin – Federal Election 2015

AFN Bulletin – Federal Election 2015

Voting for the 2015 Federal Election takes place this Monday, October 19. AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde will be voting on Election Day and is calling on all First Nation governments and leaders to make efforts to assist their citizens in voting.

AFN is reminding all First Nation voters that they will require proper ID to vote – specifically, identification that confirms your name and home address (photo ID is not required). Anyone lacking proper ID can download the AFN Confirmation of Residence form on our website: http://www.afn.ca/en/federal-election-and-voting-information-v2

Have this form filled out by a Band representative. This Confirmation of Residence form, plus one other piece of ID with your name on it (such as a status card), is all that you need to register and vote at your designated polling station on Election Day. You do NOT need to be registered to vote in advance – both can be done with your ID at your polling station on Election Day.  Other information about voting and voting requirements is available on the AFN website and Elections Canada website.

If you experience any issues while trying to vote on October 19, ask to speak with an Elections Canada official at your polling station. If for any reason this is not possible, immediately call Elections Canada at 1-800-463-2626 to deal with your issues directly.  Elections Canada will have hundreds of operators available to work to resolve any issues.

The AFN released Closing the Gap: 2015 Federal Election Priorities for First Nations and Canada early September and asked each federal party for a formal response.  To date the AFN has received responses from the Liberals, New Democrats and Greens.  On October 15, the AFN released an assessment of all federal party platforms and commitments available now at www.afn.ca.

This is our chance to make our voices heard. First Nations people matter, our priorities matter, our VOTES matter!