Elections Canada has released new health and safety measures for the upcoming federal election.
Chief Electoral Officer Stephane Perrault announced the details yesterday:
ELECTION READINESS
- First, let me state that we are ready to deliver a safe and secure election on September 20th.
- Over the last few days, we have been opening local Elections Canada offices across the country’s 338 ridings. Our deployment will continue in the coming days and, shortly, we will be serving electors in 501 local offices throughout the election period.
- We have a broad range of information and services available directly through our website, and I want to encourage electors to visit elections.ca to access all the information they need to register and plan their voting experience.
ELECTOR EXPERIENCE
- Of course, the COVID-19 situation will have an impact on how the election is delivered.
- For months, we have been consulting with public health authorities across the country to ensure that our services will be offered in a way that is safe for everyone.
- We have implemented a range of safety measures for our local offices, as well as for election day polls and advance polls. These include, for instance, mask-wearing, physical distancing, physical barriers and single-use pencils.
- As the COVID-19 situation evolves, we will continue to adjust our safety measures based on the recommendations of public health authorities.
- It is important to note that voters may well be assigned to polling locations that are different from the ones they are used to. That’s because some of our usual locations are not available this time. In some cases, this may mean that the location is a little farther away or is in a non-traditional place.
- Voters should pay attention to their voter information card and look carefully at the location of their advance poll and election day poll. Voter information cards will be received in early September .
- Voting in person–whether at a local Elections Canada office, at advance polls or on election day–remains the simplest and most convenient way to cast a ballot.
- For those electors who prefer to vote by mail, this option will also be available. This is not a new option. In fact, Canadians have been able to vote by mail, even locally, since 1993.
- Electors who want to vote by mail should plan to do so early. They should leave enough time for their voter kit to get to them and for them to return it to Elections Canada by election day.
- They can apply by providing proof of identity and address through our online application system. This is the fastest way to receive a kit, and voters can check online to see if their kit has been issued or if their ballot has been received. For those who are not able to apply online, traditional mail-in forms are also available.
- Electors who vote by mail are responsible for ensuring that their ballot is returned in time. They should check Canada Post schedules for their region. If they are concerned about their ballot not arriving in time, they can bring it to their polling station on election day.
- It is important to note that, by law, electors who apply to vote by mail cannot change their mind later on and decide to vote another way.
- I encourage electors to plan early and choose the voting option that works best for them.
- I know Canadians are used to getting results on election night, but it will be different in this election. The count of mail-in ballots will start after election day, once the mail-in ballots that electors have dropped off at polling places have been returned and integrity checks have been performed.
- If the volume of mail-in ballots is high–as we have seen in other jurisdictions during the pandemic–it will take longer for returning officers to count those ballots. In most locations, this should be done within two days, but in some districts, it could take as long as five days, depending on the volume. In all cases, the count can be observed by candidate representatives, and daily result updates will be published.
Perrault is also assuring Canadians that voting in the federal election will be safe despite Elections Canada’s decision to not require the more than 250,000 polling officers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
However, he said that if the situation changes, his agency may adjust the rules.
Canadians head to the polls on September 20, with advance polls opening on September 10.
For more details, please click here.
Our Chief Electoral Officer, Stéphane Perrault, is holding a news conference this afternoon about #Elxn44.
Here are some of the services and changes Canadians can expect as they register and vote during the #COVID19 pandemic. 1/ #ItsOurVote #CdnPoli pic.twitter.com/HMiEBQxtBl
— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) August 18, 2021