TORONTO - Twelve registered parties are vying for seats in Ontario's Oct. 10 election -- three more than last time.
The newcomers are the Reform party, the Republican party, and the Party for People with Special Needs.
Under new rules, a party need only nominate two candidates to register, down from running candidates in more than half the ridings.
The province's chief electoral officer says a total of 597 candidates are vying for a seat.
In all, just under 8.4 million people are eligible to vote.
To accommodate them all on election day, voters can cast ballots at 9,404 polling stations.
Voters will also be getting two ballots -- one for the election of their favourite candidate, the other for the referendum question on proposed changes to the electoral system.
Under the proposed changes, parties would be awarded seats more closely based on their share of the popular vote.
It's the first time since 1924 that Ontario voters will be voting in a referendum.
