(Files by Dione Wearmouth-MyPGNow)
Despite working with the Provincial Health Office closely on the in-person voting process, Elections BC has already received 20,000 mail-in ballot requests since Tuesday morning.
“Our focus is to ensure there is a lot of in-person opportunity to vote safely,” explained Andrew Watson, Communications Director of Elections BC, “we’ve been planning for a pandemic election since early this year.”
One of those efforts includes adding an extra day of advanced voting, however, they are still anticipating about 35% of this year’s votes will be mailed in.
“Usually about 1% of votes are cast by mail, in 2017 we saw about 6,500 ballots cast through the mail” he added.
Elections BC is also advising seniors or anyone at high risk to mail in their ballot.
“We are working with long term care facilities to make sure residents within those facilities have an opportunity to vote,” added Watson, “either by a team of election officials visiting that facility or organizing vote-by-mail for residents.”
Watson also advises anyone in a remote community deciding to vote-by-mail, to do so early.
To request a vote-by-mail package, visit the Elections BC website or call the Elections BC office.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
