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A riding is an electoral district, also called a constituency. I presume the Canadians adopted this word from the British, more specifically from the English.

I’m loving looking at all the wonderful calendar pages being produced – they are truly beautiful and imaginative. Hopefully I’ll get my first two pages posted later today.

This will be the third election where I voted by mail. Necessary in 2020 because of Covid but I find it more convenient now, anyway. @Cassel I don't know what a "riding" is. Here's what you wrote on your blog: "they would add the numbers for each riding." Is it similar to our city which is divided into Wards?

Me, too, Michele. 🤤 We're all so very proud of her! 😍

Soooo happy for Jackie; a bit jealous, too. ❤️

It's all electronic now. Before then, we had curtained voting booths where we had to turn levers and once we opened the curtain back up, that was it. Voting always makes me feel good. I mailed in my ballot today! I'm getting a little too old and broken down to wait in lines outside in the cold.

During the 2020 general/national election, that included the 4 year cycle of President, the USA was still battling to adjust to COVID, the Republicans party generally maintaining that insisting that people mask in some public places was a violation of personal liberty, without embracing the consequence, economic ruin and escalating rates of infection, poor health and death. The US President launched a campaign demanding that the only legitimate method of voting was in person, all in a single day, at a designated polling location that required an ID, also insisting that no votes should be accepted and counted once each state's polling hours ended. Many states had expanded the acceptance of mail in ballots and of early, uncongested vote collection, to try to ease the rate of infection, and while these changes were instituted by bipartisan groups, many in the GOP, including the President's executive branch, attempted to have those measures declared constitutionally illegal. The President even replaced the Postmaster General, and his new appointee, Louis DeJoy, enacted extraordinary measures to remove mail collection stations and to try to cripple postal delivery everywhere. Statistically, it was known that more Democrats than Republicans used early voting and voting by mail. Despite all of these restrictive efforts and instead driven by health and economic concerns, 2020 saw the highest ever contribution of early and mail in balloting. In 2024 the methods that were compelled upon us in 2020, are more widely accepted, had continued in 2022, and don't favor either party anywhere near the degree that they may have in 2020. Instead, it is very likely that if the GOP were to again campaign against having constituents vote by mail or vote early, that they could deprive themselves of many of the ballots needed to return their candidate to the White House, and so they are now urging their supporters to use every means available, but to be sure to vote. At the same time, the GOP continues its campaign of intimidation, urging unlicensed citizens to band together as polling watch groups. They don't preach an attire, but would be overjoyed to see Republicans parading with firearms in clear display, wherever local code allows, and even where it does not. While there is already a proper litmus test for legitimizing ballots, that they must be cast only by USA citizens, and while statistics prove out that cheating is remarkably rare and so random that it does not favor any candidate or party, the GOP urges a different test for it's poll watchers, and though most do not state outright, you must harass, threaten and assault everyone you deem might be of most recent foreign extraction, the climate they advocate is meant to elicit that exactly. When USA slaves were liberated and received the right to vote, they were not likewise afforded the protection to exercise that right, and did so, when it was even allowed, still under the threat of death. Many were killed, and today that is the same brand of justice being promoted by the GOP. COVID is not under control, and might never be, but it's been allowed to pick off many of the elderly, and the more susceptible and so now it is more like...background noise than an accepted, continued pandemic. Because of the legitimate fears and risks, in 2020, there was more remote voting, and also with that scare and corresponding reduction of usual volunteers, I did something I should have done long before, I volunteered myself, and served for 4 hours supervising and collecting votes, and as a presence in deterrence of violence in my neighborhood. While there is undeniably more than an undercurrent here, this voting cycle, forecasting that the Republicans may rise up, declare the voting result a fraud, and again attempt to seize the nation by force, if they fail to control it through billionaire and corporate funded ballots, or through getting less Republican district or state ballots declared invalid, I do suppose that the act of voting itself will be less risky. Because COVID is, despite still being a grave concern, being accorded a much diminished value, we'll have more of the usual volunteers returning to staff the polling locations, so I haven't added my name. We will also have a substantial number of people returning to the old, traditional method of voting. In my neighborhood that means marking a ballot, typically with two halves of an arrow, separated in the middle, by using a felt tip pen, that richly saturates whatever it contacts, to complete the middle of the arrow so that it points to each of their choices. The stations where the pens are located, are like standing desks, plastic, with metal legs, folding or stacking for storage, and with vertical partitions on either side and a barrier along the back, for privacy, though, in all my years of voting, I have never noticed anyone else trying to prevent a glimpse at their ballot, nor have I had any concern over having someone else see mine. While voting is an adult activity, and the desks are certainly sized favoring that, I don't know why I have never considered, before today, that those desks are very restrictive against folks who are not of average or oversized height. Once the ballot is complete, a rather large, thick, stiff piece of rectangular paper, it is inserted into a reader, face up or face down (preferred) and is instantly tallied electronically. Before receiving a ballot the voter must be authenticated by matching them to their residence (I don't know what provisions exist for the homeless, or traveling sort), and before inserting the ballot they are subjected to a second authentication, and at both of these authentication stations they are then recorded as having voted, barring their ability to cast a ballot twice. While the number of ballots processed by mail will decrease this cycle, I feel, having never voted by that method, and with the one party still casting aspersions against it, that it is a minor act of solidarity with the sane for me to use it, and so my mail in ballot should be delivered any day now. Going forward, I would like to determine exactly which method is most economical, so I can try to favor that, though with allowance of weight for one vital exception. I...shall miss that one aspect on this Nov 5th, a social and supportive one. Along the hall through which I enter and leave the elementary school, where my "ward's" polling is done, a few long tables are set up, mostly, or always, women and girls standing or sitting on the opposite side. Why there aren't men or boys, I do not know, but they have baked goods available for sale, supporting various worthwhile charities, and so I always make it a point to stop, purchasing something, surrendering the change, or if I am late, and nothing catches my fancy, not leaving without at least giving a donation.

Cheers! It's a sunset. Although I have and do use the calendar script, it's quite quick and easy to create my own dates/boxes. Carole demonstrate creating calendar date boxes and more in her Corel you tube video. I remember it because Carole uses some of my photos to demonstrate different layouts.

I like the idea of using the fading white gradient. Like you I will choose to use a subtle texture later on the background. Your photos are great.

Here is April. Featuring the Red Squirrel.

I've had the same experience as Rene. I voted early and it was so much better than going on voting day then rushing to work or going after work when I just want to go home. It seems like the days of long line ups are over, but I do remember waiting in a long line up. I also worked at an election years ago. It was an interesting experience and paid very well too.

Here is March and April. I'm not sure what type of background I want to do, I'm trying a desaturated hue and using the fading foreground with white. If I stay with this idea I'll add some kind of texture to it as well. I have not decided on a font yet.

We have early voting in Ohio and I went today to cast my ballot. I had to give them my ID, they verified that all information was still the same which I had to sign that it was on an electronic tablet. Then my ballot was sent to be printed on a printer across the room. I went there and was given my ballot to fill out (both sides). When done I was to put it in the counting machine where it showed on screen that my vote was counted. There was no line to sign in and several people were at the voting tables when I got there. I had 19 positions to vote for which included the 3 federal level government. The rest were state and county level positions. 12 of the state positions had no opponent, made it easy to choose! I also had a couple of local tax levies. It didn't take me long to make these choices. There was one state issue to make a change to the state constitution that I read through very carefully before making my choice. It took me maybe 10 minutes for the whole process. Glad I went when I did, there were people coming in the door when I left and a line was starting. Then I came home and got my mail which was election propaganda... which is every day! My recycle bin is getting full. I have voted early for quite a few years. The County Board of Elections is in my town and about a 5 minute drive to get there. Since I'm retired I can go anytime during the day and avoid the rush. I always hated standing in line on election day. At one time the election place for my precinct was in a township building which didn't have a large area for the poll workers and the line was always outside. Miserable if the weather was bad. It has been moved to another location which has more space but I've never voted there since I do the early voting. I honestly don't know how the signing in works on election day anymore. They used to have a great big book with computer printouts that they would mark your name off. You also had to go to a specific table (my township had several different precincts at that time, now it is 2) where they would have the specific ballot you needed.

Thank you so much. It was fun. I had planned on using Mother Nature's light source (the Sun) this year but it was always so windy when I wasnt working, so in the studio I went and just played around. I have very mickey-mouse light set up, but I make the best of it until the day comes when I can get some good lighting.

Wow, nice sunset (sunrise?). I really like the rounded date boxes and that it covers the whole bottom.

Ohhh, Mary, I love this image.

And we are grateful for Sue's eyesight! Saved my butt many times. Not to worry, there are several people in the campus with eagle eyes.

Congratulations Ann, to your grand daughter. What a wonderful experience she will be living. And we will get to benefit from her up close and behind the scenes photos you'll be displaying.

Elections happen everywhere (I assume) and the process might be similar or different between countries. How are they performed? Is the voting still on pieces of paper? Is the counting done manually or electronically? How is everything tallied? This is NOT meant to be a political thread, but just a discussion about the process in this age of technology. Let's share.

@Sue Thomas I found those supplies from the first Calendar class. And the videos too. They are dated 2012!!! That is even longer than those 8 years! Maybe I'll reuse it next year! I will definitely add a blog post for people who will want to change the "boxes" to something different. @Susan Ewart Beautiful pages. @Donna Sillia Don't apologize for that font. I thought you were just waiting for day 3 to show it off anyway. The issue with the dates and font is really odd! Glad you found a "fix". @Jacques Lacerte That light color for the background makes your photo stand out. @Ann Seeber Maybe the zoo will want to sell those to visitors! Imagine! I love your font. @Mary Solaas Even just a white background looks great with that January photo! @Anne Lamp You are using interesting patterns for your pages. Looking forward to the other pages.

After many years of creating my own calendars, even before I joined the campus, that in my view I like layouts to be consistent with legible text throughout, as you never know who is going to view them. I have created several different shaped date boxes, personally I like the one that fills the lower half of the page, with rounded corners. Even though calendars are functional, I still like to make sure that the images maintian the main focus on each page. Wonderful pages submitted, each one a great source of inspiration.

This is my February (1st set) offering.

Here is my Nashville Zoo Calendar, Lesson 1 & 2 for January and February. I used background papers from my stash.

She seems to offer so many ways to blend photos, good ones or bad, into layouts. It's fun to explore her techniques.

I have done day one and two for my February page also