How does an election start?
A. An election starts when the government passes a special Order in Council. This Order fixes the date of the writ and the date of the election. There is a minimum of 30 days before the actual election will happen. Both dates are significant. Canadian citizens who wish to vote in the election must have lived in Nova Scotia for at least six months before the date of the writ. They must also be at least 18 years old on election day. After the Order is passed, the Chief Electoral Officer issues the actual writ and sends it to the Returning Officers. Within five days of the date of the writ, each Returning Officer must then issue a proclamation and post it in the Returning Office. For general elections, the proclamation will also be posted in every newspaper in the province. In the case of a by-election, it will run only in the newspapers in that electoral district.
