Elections Canada reports that about 100K mail-in ballots were "put aside" for the federal election
Key Takeaways:
- A review by Elections Canada found that around 100,000 mail-in ballots for the federal election—the majority of which were received after the deadline—were not counted.
- Elections Canada found that 82% more mail-in ballots were cast in the general election of 2018 than in the federal election of 2019.
- The Chief Electoral Officer has already advised Parliament to amend the Canada Elections Act to strengthen the special ballot process.
According to a study by Elections Canada, about 100,000 mail-in ballots for the federal election were not counted, most of which arrived after the cutoff time.
99,988 special votes, according to the agency overseeing Canada's elections, were "put aside" and not counted for various reasons, such as being sent after the deadline, incomplete, or without a signature.
Those whose special ballots were not counted included members of the armed forces, foreign-based Canadian citizens, and those working away from home in Canada.
For the election on September 21, a record number of voters requested special mail-in ballots. However, most Canadians cast their ballots in person at a polling place, despite COVID-19 regulations, such as cleaning and physical segregation, which caused lengthy queues at some.
According to an analysis by Elections Canada, 82% more mail-in ballots were cast in the general election of 2018 than in the federal election of 2019.
More than 1.1 million special ballots, including those from inmates in jail, were received, according to the study.
Local voters who cast a special ballot during a federal election must deliver it to Elections Canada before the polls shut. For their ballots to be counted, overseas voters, Canadian Forces members, and prisoners must deliver their ballots to Elections Canada's head office in Ottawa by 6 p.m. on election day.
This month, Stephane Perrault, the head of Canada's electoral system, advised that Parliament take action to guarantee that ballots arrive on time, including extending the window for registering for a special ballot.
According to his report to MPs, "the earlier electors cast their special ballot, the more likely it is that it will be collected before the deadline."
According to Matthew McKenna, a spokesman for Elections Canada, "it's essential to highlight that this is the 1st time that Elections Canada has provided special ballot voting data to this level of detail."
The Chief Electoral Officer has previously recommended changes to the Canada Elections Act to Parliament to strengthen the special ballot procedure.
To speed up the process, Perrault proposed that voters using mail-in ballots be allowed to specify a political party rather than a candidate, as is the situation in provincial elections in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Before the election, Elections Canada implemented certain measures to make it simpler to cast a special ballot, such as permitting voters to drop off the envelope containing their ballot at polling places in their district.
Many Canadian embassies and high commissioners contacted expats to inform them of the mail-in voting process, and some even offered to send the voters' ballots straight to Ottawa.
Additionally, some embassies advised voters to fill out and mail their ballots early because COVID-19 difficulties might cause postal services to be delayed.
During the 2021 election, 1,275,226 voters requested a special ballot, up from 700,542 in 2019. Not all were given back.
Some election officials went above and above to provide special ballots to Canadians who resided and/or worked in remote places.
In British Columbia, a poll worker—who typically owns a chocolate shop—flew by helicopter to lighthouses with a ballot box to assist lighthouse keepers in casting their votes on time.