Video summary
A by-election is a special election held to fill a vacant seat in the provincial parliament before a general election takes place. This situation most commonly arises when a Member of Provincial Parliament resigns or leaves office, leaving their riding without representation for a period of time. During this interim, voters in that specific riding have an important opportunity to elect a new candidate to ensure their voice is heard in the legislative assembly, even though they might not be immediately aware that such an election is occurring.
The process for organizing these elections follows a strict official procedure that begins when the Speaker informs the house of the vacancy. Subsequently, the Chief Electoral Officer issues a document known as a writ, a term derived from British parliamentary history where "dropping the writ" signifies that an election is being called. While the writ initiates the process, it is ultimately the Premier who decides the specific date for the by-election. The Premier advises the Lieutenant Governor on this decision, and the Lieutenant Governor then signs the writ in collaboration with the Chief Electoral Officer to officially set the schedule.
To maintain democratic continuity, voting must occur within six months of the seat becoming vacant. Voters have several flexible options to cast their ballots, including voting in person on election day, utilizing advance voting centers, or submitting a mail-in ballot if they cannot attend the polls when they open. For those interested in participating in an upcoming by-election, such as those potentially happening in Ontario, it is essential to consult resources like Elections Ontario for detailed information on polling locations and voting procedures. This system ensures that every riding maintains continuous representation regardless of unexpected changes in office.
Read the full video transcript
A by-election takes place when it's time
to elect a new member of provincial
parliament and that happens before a
general or province-wide election. This
happens for a number of reasons, most
commonly when someone resigns and
there's a vacant seat.
>> So when an MPP resigns or essentially
leaves office, there's no one
representing that riding for that period
of time. So when a by-election happens,
uh people in that riding may not
realize, but this is their chance to
elect someone to make sure that there's
representation for them in the house.
>> There's an official process to make this
happen. The speaker informs the house
that there's a vacant seat and then the
chief electoral officer issues what's
called a writ to fill the seat. Ever
heard the saying dropping the writ?
Going all the way back to British
Parliament, it's just jargon similar to
saying dropping a line and it means an
election is being called.
>> But it's actually the premier who
decides when the date of the by-election
is. The premier would advise the
lieutenant governor and the lieutenant
governor will sign the writ working with
the chief electoral officer to set the
date.
>> And voting must take place within 6
months of the vacancy. There are lots of
ways to cast your ballot. If you can't
vote on the day the polls are open, you
can go to your local election office,
vote by mail or in advance voting. You
might be seeing this video because
there's a by-election coming up that you
need to know about. You can check out
Elections Ontario to find all the
information you need on where and how to
vote. For the Legislative Assembly of
Ontario, I'm Stephanie Matteis.