By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Though school doors have just opened, voting in the fall municipal election begins in only a few weeks. Just in time, the Municipality of Port Hope has launched a Meet The Candidates web page to help voters make their choices.
Municipal Clerk and Returning Officer Brian Gilmer called the porthopevotes.ca a valuable tool to help electors review candidate information – “a central location where they can identify the candidates they are eligible to vote for and obtain a summary of each candidate’s platform.
“It is a unique service that Port Hope, along with very few municipalities, is offering to the electorate. Our goal is to encourage electors to learn more about candidates by reviewing their profile. Electors can contact candidates directly if they have more questions.
“We want you to be informed about your candidates, so that you can get out and vote this October.”
Staff review of valuable feedback from past elections has made it clear that members of the community want to be able to access basic candidate information from a centralized platform. Hosting this information at porthopevotes.ca ensures that information is easily available.
Each candidate running for the offices of Mayor and Councillor was extended the opportunity to provide a photo, contact information website and/or social-media links, and a short platform message for their Meet The Candidates web-page listing. This information came directly from the candidates, and was not altered or edited by municipal staff in the posting.
Contact information for each School Board Trustee candidate is also listed on the page.
In the Municipality of Port Hope, voting can be done on-line or by phone between Friday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. through Monday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m.
For more information about the upcoming election – including information on important dates, how to vote, FAQs and more – visit porthopevotes.ca, e-mail elections@porthope.ca or call 905-885-4544 ext. 0
