Municipal elections: How to vote by mail on the North Shore
You are forgiven if you feel like sending in this round of local elections.
All three North Shore communities will allow voters to mail their ballots in if they choose to do so this time. Previously, the province only allowed people to vote by mail under certain circumstances, e.g. B. if they knew they would be absent during the election or if they were physically prevented from entering a polling station. In 2021, the Department of Municipal Affairs changed this rule.
“Any eligible voter may request a mail-in ballot package for this election,” said Christine Baird, deputy elections commissioner for the city of North Vancouver. “Whatever the reasons, there is no requirement that needs to be specified.”
hope of voting
In the last five local elections since 2005, the city of North Vancouver has had an average turnout of about 25 percent. The highest value in recent years was 34 percent in the 2018 elections.
In West Vancouver, the average for the last five general elections was 31.8 percent turnout, with 38.3 percent being the highest in 2018.
The District of North Vancouver, in turn, has had an average turnout of 25.6 percent in the last five elections, with the highest being in 2018 – 36.24 percent.
The average voter turnout across BC in 2018 was 35.6 percent.
The hope is that providing another convenient option to exercise one’s right to vote will spur more people to do so.
“If we can increase those numbers, that’s definitely good,” Baird said.
How to get a ballot:
As is often the case, all three North Shore communities are taking the same step, albeit with a few differences.
City of North Vancouver
You can download the application form from the city’s elections website online.
The applicant must provide scanned copies of two IDs to prove name and residential address, and one of the IDs must also include the voter’s signature.
The deadline for requesting a ballot is October 10, although it’s unlikely a voter will be able to receive their ballot and mail it back if they wait that long.
Anyone who fears missing the deadline for the timely receipt of their ballot for counting can hand it in personally to the election officer by October 15, 8 p.m. Ballot papers received after the deadline cannot be counted.
North Vancouver District
To receive a postal ballot in the North Vancouver District, voters must first fill out a form and submit their ballot application form to the municipality by September 21. The forms can be found on the district election page and can be submitted via [email protected]or dropped off or handed in personally in the district hall.
“Applications received after September 21 may not have sufficient time for a mail-in ballot packet to be mailed to you and returned in the mail. If time does not permit relying on the postal system, we encourage you to collect your absentee ballot package in person at the county office,” the county’s website said in a statement. “Completed postal ballot papers can be returned to the Electoral Officer by post or put in the district hall letter slot at the front door. Postal ballots may not be handed in at polling stations on general voting day or early voting days.”
District of West Vancouver
West Vancouver’s Chief Electoral Officer recommends that ballot-by-mail application forms be submitted either in person or electronically to [email protected]or by post by September 26th.