And now it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain!

As you read this, the polls for the 2015 Federal Election are Open, polling having started at 7 AM and continuing in British Columbia until 7 PM tonight.

Your opportunity to participate in the democratic process takes place at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre,  a location which as it has in the past, will serve as Prince Rupert's polling station and from where the returns will be added to those from across the riding of Skeena-Bulkley Valley.

In other areas of the Northwest find your voting location here.

It's Election Day in Canada, in Prince Rupert residents of
Skeena-Bulkley Valley can cast their ballots at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre
The polls will be open from 7 AM to 7 PM

For those looking for a little light reading material while they await tonight's delivery of results, the website ThreeHundredEight.com has compiled an interesting look at the history of the riding, tracing back some of the fascinating history that has marked its passage through time and numerous reconfigurations.

You can also review our archive page on the 2015 campaign which offers up a snapshot of how the Northwest election story developed since we first learned we were heading for the polls on August 2nd.

Some numbers to keep in mind for this evening's tally after the polls close:

There are 62,234 eligible voters in today's election process.

In 2011, the election day turnout brought 35,237 voters to the polling station, making for a voter turn out 58.86 percent four years ago.

That was an increase of two percent or so from the numbers from the 2008 election.

In the 2011 election, NDP candidate Nathan Cullen was elected to his seat in the House of Commons when he collected 19,431 votes, while the next closest candidate Conservative Clay Harmon received 12,117 votes.

If the candidates in the 2015 campaign wish to topple the incumbent, they will have to try and wrangle a good portion of that 7,300 vote margin to make it a cliffhanger kind of evening.

There's a range of options for tracking tonight's vote totals, the major networks of course will be the main destination of choice for Canadians looking for election night returns and analysis.

CBC.ca
CTV.ca
Global BC

Radio in British Columbia will also be providing coverage through the night, with the two major Vancouver stations gearing up for their election night coverage, as is CBC Radio One in British Columbia.

CKNW
News 1130
CBC Radio One

A couple of alternative options for election day out of the south may come from the newly arrived Roundhouse Radio or Vancouver's legendary Co-op Radio.

Locally, results from Northern BC will be filed with the CBC Radio election programming, as well as through the local commercial stations of EZ Rock and CFNR, UNBC's campus radio station CFUR might even provide some interesting background on election night.

CFTK TV will be following the CBC TV Coverage, and local results will be found crawling across the screen updated on a regular basis.

Of Course, none of those options will have much to work with, unless the voters make their way to the polling station today.

Election Day offers the voters of Skeena-Bulkley Valley the opportunity to provide their decision as to which candidate and which party they believe deserves their support to represent the riding and act as the voice of those that call it home.

The health of the democratic process is only strong through voter participation, the right to vote celebrated and guarded by those that take the time to cast their ballot.

On this election day, while the main focus it seems is on the candidates running for office, perhaps some of our time should be directed towards those that send the successful ones off to Ottawa.

It's through the journey to the ballot box that our traditions continue and our democratic process thrives, don't let your chance to participate slip by before the polls close at 7 PM.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review