It is advanced voting day for people in the Sorrento-Blind Bay area as they decide whether they want to incorporate into one municipality.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. tonight, with general voting day set for Saturday, April 30.

People can vote in the advanced polls at the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) office in Salmon Arm or at Shuswap Lake Estates Hall in Blind Bay. On election day, people can cast their ballot at Sorrento Memorial Hall or at the Blind Bay Memorial Hall.

The vote comes after a study that looked into the benefits of incorporating the two south Shuswap communities into one. At their March 17 meeting, the CSRD Board of Directors unanimously approved moving ahead with the referendum.

If residents vote to support incorporation, an election would need to be held so people can vote for their municipal representatives as well as a director to sit on the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.

In the event of a ‘no’ vote, the CSRD’s Electoral Area C would be split into two, each with its own director based on growing population.

All Canadian adults, who have lived in the communities of Sorrento or Blind Bay for at least six months can vote in the referendum. People who have owned property in the proposed incorporation boundary area for at least 30 days before the day of registration.

The Sorrento-Blind Bay area is home to roughly 5,000 people, while the rest of Electoral Area C is home to about 2,500 people.

For more voting information, go here.