Voting by mail was more prominent in the last provincial elections and likely will be in the upcoming federal one. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Mail Vote

Elections Canada expecting lots of mail-in voting

Aug 26, 2021 | 4:00 PM

While COVID-19 hasn’t put a halt to elections, it has changed the way some people participate in them.

Voting by mail became a more popular option during the 2020 provincial elections, including in Saskatchewan, due to the pandemic, and it’s not expected to slow down for the federal election.

Elections Canada has released their guide to voting by mail and are allowing people to register for it right away. After the last round of elections, they’re expecting many people will take them up on that.

“In provincial elections, we did see a rise in vote-by-mail options,” said Marie-France Kenny, regional media advisor with Elections Canada. “As well, in our partial elections we had in the Toronto area, we’ve seen an uptake in vote-by-mail. So we anticipated the greater demand for it from the last time.”

While Kenny said the safest and securest option was still to vote in person, there will undoubtedly be Canadians who don’t feel that way during the fourth wave of the pandemic.

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“If you’re vulnerable, if you’ve been isolating, if you’re studying or traveling away from home, then that’s an option for you,” Kenny said. “If you just don’t want to go vote in a polling station, it’s an option to vote by mail.”

For those wanting to vote by mail, you’ll need to submit your application by Sept. 14 at 6:00 local time. You’ll need to submit proof of identity and your address with the application.

“Once you’ve asked or applied to vote by mail, your name will be taken off the list of electors and will be listed as having voted,” Kenny said. “So, if you then change your mind and want to go vote in person at advanced polls or on polling day, you won’t be able to.”

The ballot will come in a special kit which includes instructions and details about deadlines. It will also include a pre-addressed and prepaid return envelope. The ballot that comes for mail-in voting will look a little different than the one you’d see at the polls, however.

“The special ballot has no candidate names on it. You will have to write out the name of the candidate you’re voting for. To find out who the candidates are, you go on the website at elections.ca.”

There are several extra security steps in voting by mail to help make sure no one votes twice and the votes are secure. Because of those extra steps, the counting of votes may go a little beyond the night of the election.

“Depending on what the uptake is in each riding, we’re expecting it might take between two to five days for the results to come in,” Kenny said. “That’s because of the safeguards. We want to make sure you don’t vote twice. Once we get the mail-in votes, we’ll look at the outer envelope and we’ll know you’ve voted.”

Canada’s federal election is set for September 20.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP