Drive-thru advance voting booth will be available in Regina

There are drive-thru fast food restaurants, drive-thru coffee shops and, once again this year in Regina, the municipal election will feature a drive-thru advance polling station.

"We're trying every option we can to ensure that people have no excuse to say, 'It's too time consuming or too onerous to vote.'" said chief returning officer Jim Nicol. "They don't even have to leave their car."

The polling station will be located on McIntyre Street beside City Hall. That's the same location as when the idea was first introduced in 2012.

It's also the same location where the city offered a drive-thru kiosk to pay property tax in June.

Motorists need an ID and a voter registration card. Voters are handed a ballot to fill out in the privacy of their vehicle.

The drive-thru polling station will be available Oct 19 to Oct 21 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m..

"The drive-thru station is geared primarily for people who work downtown." said Nicol. "For those who don't come downtown that often, there are still four advance polls in the four geographic quadrants of the city."

In 2012, only one-third of eligible Regina voters cast a ballot.

Nicol hopes the drive-thru polling station can bring those numbers up.

"You look at emerging democracies around the world, people are willing to stand two hours in the blazing sun to cast a ballot." said Nicol. "And we have people here saying, 'Voting doesn't really fit into my busy day.'"

"We're saying, 'You know what? We've found ways to dispel that. There's no excuse not to vote.'"

The municipal election will be held October 26.