Postal workers in B.C. are confident they can deliver mail-in ballots to everyone who is requesting them during the provincial election, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
No, we don’t anticipate a problem at all. Elections always generate an enormous amount of mail for us,” Jessica Dempster, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Victoria Local (CUPW 850), said.
Elections BC expects as many as 800,000 votes by mail for the Oct. 24 election. Twenty thousand voters registered in the first 24 hours. In 2017, 6,500 people cast their ballot in the mailbox.
In a statement, Canada Post said:
“Canada Post understands the important role it plays in connecting Canadians and has extensive experience securely delivering large, national and regional mailings. We are proud to support public initiatives such as the census, national and provincial elections and most recently, Health Canada’s COVID-19 awareness efforts.
“In each instance, we work closely with officials at all levels to conduct extensive advance planning. With a dedicated project team, we work with a shared goal of effectively and thoughtfully executing all their mailing requirements. We meet regularly with organizers to provide logistical support and advice, proactively monitor all mailings from receipt to delivery and develop mechanisms to quickly address potential issues.
We are currently working with several governing bodies to support any potential mailing needs they may require. This work builds on the existing relationships Canada Post has developed by working to safely and securely support elections for many years.
With over 53,000 employees, Canada Post delivers close to eight billion pieces of mail and parcels to 16.5 million addresses across the country each year.”
But with the focus on mail-in ballots, there is one demographic that may have difficulties: the first time voter. Dan Reeve, who teaches political science at Camosun College, said said many of his students will be using Canada Post to mail an envelope for the very first time. “I think of some of my students will be mailing in an envelope for the very first time in their life. That mail-in ballot may be the first letter they’ve ever actually sent.”
While mail traffic is up as a result of online shopping, the union believes that Canada Post carriers and employees won’t run into delays.
“No. We’ll get it done for sure. We’ve sort of dealt with the increase in parcels during the pandemic by additional overtime, additional shifts and that kind of thing,” Dempster said.
And Elections BC doesn’t anticipate any issues. It’s working with Canada Post to ensure mail-in ballots are processed efficiently during the election.
“We have been in close contact with Canada Post to ensure that mail-in ballots are processed efficiently during the election,” Elections BC said in a statement.
“We do not expect any delays or issues at this time. We encourage voters wishing to vote by mail to request and return their vote-by-mail package as soon as possible, to ensure we receive it by 8 p.m. Pacific time on October 24. Voters will be able to return their voting package by mail or in person at drop-off locations across the province. We are in the process of establishing these in-person drop-off locations and will post more information on our website when available.
Elections BC says anyone voting by mail should get their ballot in as soon as possible. And Canada Post is working to have drop-off locations around the province in time for the election.
Learn more about voting by mail on the Elections BC website here.
READ MORE: John Horgan says he needs stability to face ‘grave’ challenges province faces
Mary Griffin
