You’ve no doubt seen the campaign signs up around town. They’re hard to miss as you drive along Franklin Avenue, Old Airport Road and some residences.
You may have had some campaign literature left at your door or maybe candidates have already come knocking at your door.
In any case, the 2023 NWT election campaign is well and truly off and running with 42 candidates registered around the territory as of Thursday evening; candidates were allowed to register beginning Monday morning at 10 a.m. The deadline for prospective candidates to get in on the fun and frolic of a campaign in today at 2 p.m.
Anyone who decides campaigning or electioneering isn’t for them has until 5 p.m. this evening to withdraw.
While the official campaigning has begun, pre-campaign spending was deemed to have started on July 16. The original pre-sending start date was June 4, but that was pushed ahead by six weeks due to the legislative assembly pushing the original election date back six weeks because of the wildfire situation.
Elections NWT has indicated that any monies spent between June 4 and July 16 will not count toward the campaign spending limit of $30,000 per candidate.
If you know you’re going to be away on election day, Nov. 14, you have some options available to you to vote.
Applications for absentee balloting began begin accepted on Oct. 3 and will continue until Nov. 4. Absentee voting will begin on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. and your ballot must be in the hands of Elections NWT by Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. to be counted. Ballots received after election day will not be counted.
You can also vote at the Office of the Returning Officer for your riding. That also begins on Oct. 24 and will end on Nov. 11. Advance polling will be happening in ridings the week of Nov. 7 to 10, while a mobile polling opportunity will also take place that same week. You can apply for a mobile polling option beginning Oct. 31.
Here are the list of candidates running in Yellowknife, Ndilo and Dettah as of press time Thursday evening:
Frame Lake
Deanna Cornfield
Julian Morse
John Stanley
Spencer Tracy
Stuart Wray
Great Slave
Katherine Reid
Katrina Nokleby
Stacie Arden Smith
Kam Lake
Caitlin Cleveland
Range Lake
Aaron Reid
Nicole Sok
Kieron Testart
Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh
Richard Edjericon
Yellowknife Centre
Ambelem Chenemu
Robert Hawkins
Matthew Spence
Yellowknife North
Shauna Morgan
Bruce Valpy
Yellowknife South
Caroline Wawzonek