Siloam Mission

Last week, @kristelmason tweeted: “I got my #mbvotes voter’s guide in the mail. Just curious - how do @SiloamMission’s clients vote without a fixed address?”

It’s a great question — people without a fixed address run into many hurdles in life that range from difficulties getting a social insurance number and health card to troubles finding a job because of an incomplete resume.

Fortunately, Elections Manitoba has made it very easy for anyone without a fixed address to vote in our upcoming provincial election on October 4th. Yes, you can vote in a Manitoba provincial election if you do not have a permanent home, but you stay a shelter or hostel.

Yesterday and today, enumerators from Elections Manitoba dropped by Siloam Mission and set up a table in the drop-in centre to help people get on the voters list.

Of course, not everyone who uses the services of Siloam was at the shelter in the last two days.

But people whose names were not added to the voters list can still vote — Elections Manitoba only requires a letter from a shelter or hostel saying that they know who you are. To vote, people can just present that letter at the voting station along with another piece of identification or a piece of mail that has their name on it.

Speaking of mail, all guests of Siloam Mission can use our address as theirs, and receive mail at our shelter.

Another common question is how do people that have difficulties reading vote? Some of our guests are blind, have bad eyesight or struggle with illiteracy.

Elections Manitoba has thought of that as well — people can bring someone who is over the age of 18 with them to the voting station to help them mark their ballot.

-Mike Duerksen