(Ottawa) The Chief Electoral Officer warns that Canadians will have to wait a few days to know the official results of the federal election held amid the Covid-19 epidemic.
Voters have to go to unusual places to vote or go a little farther to deposit their votes in the ballot box.
But Canada’s chief electoral officer, Stephen Perrald, wants Canadians to know there is nothing wrong with the change.
These ideas are part of the process put forward by the Canadian elections, which, while delivering credible results, will ensure that the election runs safe for a COVID-19 epidemic.
“It is important for Canadians to understand that this decision is part of our plan.
Many observers expect Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to dissolve parliament in the coming weeks so that elections can take place from mid-late September.
All public parties are currently preparing to go on the election campaign, although Chief Public Health Officer DRe Theresa Tom warned that a fourth wave caused by the country delta variation was on the threshold of COVID-19.
Election Canada says it is prepared to deal with a massive increase in postal votes if a summer election takes place. It is believed that five million voters may prefer this system compared to 50,000 in 2019.
Stephen Perrald reveals that postal votes will not be counted until the day after Election Day. The decision was made to ensure that all votes could be received until the last minute until the end of voting. This will give officials more time to ensure that voters who voted by mail do not vote in person a second time.
In the worst case scenario, you would have to wait between two and five days to get the official number of ballots sent in the mail.
This means that the results of tight races on some rides across the country may not be released on election day. In cases where the national decision is too tight, the identity of the next government and its minority or majority status may be uncertain for a few days.
Stephen Perrald emphasizes that this small delay is necessary to ensure the integrity of the results.
“We may want quick results, but Canadians expect us to do things right first,” he said.
In the most recent US presidential election, postal votes encouraged former President Donald Trump to cultivate his imaginary claims that a second massive fraud had ousted him. Millions of Republican supporters and conspirators believed the allegations were baseless and undermined the legitimacy of the US electoral process.
Stephen Perrald says he just hopes the majority of Canadians will continue to believe in the electoral process in the country. He notes that unlike the United States, Canada does not have a deep polarization of postal voting.
“All parties see the need to deliver this vote by mail. They understand that there are restrictive measures. People should not expect the Canadian federal election to look like it did in the United States,” the CEO continued.
In anticipation of a sharp increase in demand for postal voting, Election Canada plans to offer the opportunity to order its ballot online, which must then be mailed.
Voters who fear their ballot will not be available in time may drop it off at a polling station near their home or have a relative ask them to do it for them.
The names of every voter who receives a ballot by mail will be removed from the list because they are considered to have already voted. People who do not receive their postal votes after the request has been made can vote in person even after taking the oath.
However, any postal vote received from a voter who casts a ballot in person will be rejected.
Elections Canada still expects a majority of Canadians to vote in person. The agency has stockpiled agents, disinfectants, single-use pencils and polymer walls to protect the health of voters and election staff.
Regarding polling stations, Stephen Perrald said he expects that regular places will not be interested in welcoming thousands of people to their campus, i.e. schools and entertainment centers.
So, Canadian elections, especially in small communities, can ask voters to vote in unusual places, such as hotels or cinemas. Others have to vote a little further away from home than usual.
