Think you have election fatigue now? Just wait until 2015.

By the end of October, Ontarians will have gone to the polls three times within 12 months (starting with last fall’s municipal election and ending with this fall’s provincial election).

But in 2015, they will go to the polls twice within the same month.

The first time will be for the next provincial election, which according to law, is slated for the first Thursday in October every four years — the soonest possible date being Oct.1, 2015.

And the second time is for the next federal election, which is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2015 under Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s set election law.

That is, of course, assuming Harper sticks with his fixed election date. If he did, it would be the first time he did so since the fixed election date law was passed in the Accountability Act in 2006.

Harper introduced the idea of fixed election dates after his first minority government victory. He proposed Canadians only go to the polls every four years, or sooner if a minority government lost a non-confidence vote.

“Fixed election dates stop leaders from trying to manipulate the calendar. They level the playing field for all parties,” Harper said in 2006.

The first set election date was scheduled for Oct. 19, 2009.

But in 2008, Harper dissolved the government a year ahead of schedule. The following year, a federal court judge ruled Harper’s election call was not illegal.

This year’s election call adhered to the law because the minority Conservative government collapsed due to a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons.

This wouldn't be the first time the two elections happened in the same month. According to Alicia Fowlie of Elections Ontario, the same thing happened in 1945 when a provincial election was held on June 4 and a federal election one week later on June 11.



The provincial legislature would need to amend the Election Act in order for the provincial election to be moved in 2015, Fowlie said.



Ottawa resident Nisha Wellstein said while she’s had election fatigue from this federal election because it's the fourth one in seven years, she is hopeful that the back-to-back elections in 2015 will energize voters, not frustrate them.

“I think that having a provincial and federal election in the same month will be tiring for people,” the 28-year-old said.

“But (it) won't be as frustrating as elections being held seemingly for no good reason. Perhaps, people will embrace the ability to flex their political muscle at all levels at the same time.”

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The next municipal election will be held in October of 2014.

With files from Bruce Campion-Smith, Toronto Star

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