Voting begins for the May 14 elections in the US and Canada
Voting procedures have started at the Consulates General in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston, as well as at the Turkish Embassy in Washington.
Many voters who live in the Washington region and are affiliated with the Overseas Voter Registry cast their ballots at the Embassy, while in New York, despite the downpour, large numbers of voters flocked to Turkevi to cast their ballots.
In the New York Consulate General’s service area, there will be additional polling stations in New Jersey and Long Island, as well as Türkevi, between 09:00 and 18:00 from April 29 to May 1.
Voters in the USA and affiliated with the Overseas Voter Register may vote at said polling stations between April 29 and May 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
In the event that the Presidential Election goes to the second round, the ballot boxes will be installed in the specified representative offices from May 20 to 24. There are 134,246 registered voters in the United States.
VOTING HAS BEGUN IN CANADA
Turkish citizens living in Canada will be able to vote for President and the 28th term general election for 9 days from today at the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa and at the Turkish Consulates in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Sinem Mingan, Turkey’s consul general in Toronto, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that citizens can cast their ballots at four centers in Canada between 09:00 and 21:00.
Reminding that the voting process will be completed on May 7, Mingan said:
“The voting process has started as of this morning. Our citizens registered abroad as voters can also vote at our foreign representative offices and customs gates of their choice. We are pleased to note that the interest of our citizens in the elections has increased in these elections. Since this morning, despite the rainy weather, there is great interest. We have also taken the most appropriate measures so that our citizens vote with confidence.
THE QUEUES STARTED FROM THE MORNING HOURS
In Toronto, the city with the largest Turkish population in Canada, citizens lined up to vote.
Despite the rainy weather, Turkish citizens, who were waiting in line, sometimes entered the building where the Consulate General is located and the workplaces in the surrounding area, and waited in the increasing rain.
Meanwhile, some Turkish associations and foundations in the Toronto region also organize transportation services for Turkish citizens who want to vote.
In the calls made in mosques and associations days ago and finally repeated on social networks, it was said that those who lived in the surrounding cities and had transportation difficulties would be taken to their homes and transferred to the voting centers if they were contacted.
Associations and foundations announce that public transportation will be provided if they come to the meeting addresses provided for those who live in and around Toronto.
After the voting process, which began in four different points in Canada, the collected votes will be taken to Turkey after May 7, in the presence of representatives and officials of the political parties. (AA)