Nine per cent of Fraser-Nicola voters may be voting by mail this year, as Elections BC sees a dramatic increase in requests for mail-in ballots across the province.
In the last provincial election, only 6,517 eligible voters cast their ballot by mail. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and facing a snap election, 680,000 voters have requested vote-by-mail packages. This represents 19 per cent of B.C.’s 3,485,858 registered voters.
In the Fraser-Nicola district, which encompasses Hope and surrounding areas, 2,365 people or roughly 9 per cent of voters have requested such packages. There are 26,500 registered voters in the district.
The number of people wanting to vote by mail here is slightly lower than down-Valley districts. In Chilliwack, 14 per cent of registered voters have requested packages and in Abbotsford’s three districts the figure ranges from 12 to 16 per cent.
Elections BC has already gotten back 138,500 mail-in ballots, around 21 per cent of packages issued.
Voters who are planning to cast their ballot by mail should request a package by the latest this Saturday (Oct. 17). And they will need to mail their completed packages in as soon as possible. Completed packages must be received by Elections BC before 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.
Packages can also be returned in person at voting places, district electoral offices and participating Service BC locations.
Read more: Elections BC’s vote by mail guide
If voters are late to mail their packages, Elections BC recommends to return them at these locations or to vote in person. Anyone who changes their mind and opts to vote in person should destroy their vote-by-mail package.
– With files from Eric Welsh
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