Over 12 per cent of eligible votes on the North Shore have already cast their ballots – in the first three days of advance voting.
Figures released by Elections B.C. indicate a sizable number of voters in the North Shore’s four ridings decided to vote in person but opted to do it early. The percentage of voters who cast ballots in the first three days of advance voting was similar across all four ridings.
Advance polls will remain open for voters until Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Advance poll numbers do not include those who opted to mail in their ballot this election.
But if you were one of the over 37, 700 people on the North Shore who requested a mail-in ballot, and you either haven’t received a voting package yet or haven’t got around to mailing it, it’s time to change tactics according to Elections B.C.
Up to 22 per cent of voters in the North Shore’s four ridings had requested a mail-in ballot by Oct. 13.
But huge numbers of requests have meant not everyone received their package in time to mail a ballot back by the recommended deadline of last Friday, Oct. 17.
Voters who haven’t returned their mail-in package should now plan to drop it off in person to a designated drop-off location, or ditch the plan to vote by mail and instead vote in person during advance voting or on Election Day.
Designated drop-off locations include district electoral offices, voting places during voting hours, and some Service BC locations.
Elections BC must receive completed vote-by-mail packages by 8 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday, October 24.
Voters who have requested a vote-by-mail package must destroy it if they choose to vote in person.
The large number of anticipated mail-in ballots means it’s possible the outcome of the election won’t actually be known on election night.
While votes cast on Election Day and in advance polls from people who voted in their district are counted on election night, absentee ballots – including mail-in ballots - don’t get counted until at least 13 days after the election.
All absentee and mail-in ballots must be manually verified before they are counted – a process that could take more than two weeks.
