Keremeos plans to allow mail-in ballots during the municipal election this fall.
Council voted on first and second reading of the Election Bylaw, which would allow mail-in ballots and several other changes during Monday night’s council meeting.
“I made a few revisions from the last election bylaw. I felt like mail ballots would be a good thing to have in this community and you don’t seem to have had them before, so anybody that is having any kind of mobility issues or maybe is going on vacation during that time or whatever, if they do have a mail ballot as one of their options perhaps they wouldn’t feel disenfranchised,” Marg Coulson, CAO for the village said.
Other changes included increased flexibility and times for special voting (care facilities, hospital) and provisions to strengthen the chain of custody of ballots and election records.
“I believe certainly the changes for the custody of the ballots may address some of the concerns of the residents that think the CFO and the CAO get together and they just put things in the ballot box,” Coun. Arlene Arlow said.
As per the bylaw, anyone who wants to vote by mail must apply to the Chief Election Officer using a required form. Coulson is the Chief Election Officer for the village.
Coulson said keeping the vote secret is a major part of the voting process and specific guidelines are in place to ensure that happens.
A mail in ballot is placed in a secrecy envelope, which is then placed certificate/registration envelope – that envelope is then placed in an outer mailing envelope.
The mail in ballots must be received by the village office through the mail by general voting day or can be delivered to the office before 8 p.m. on general voting day.
This election the general voting day is Oct. 20.
Once the ballot is received the Chief Election Officer must record the date of receipt, open the outer envelope, remove and examine the certification/registration envelope. If all is fine, the Chief Election Officer then marks that envelope as accepted. The certification/registration envelope remains in the custody of the Chief Election Officer until voting day when it is opened in front of at least one other person before the secrecy envelope is then put in a ballot box before it is finally opened during the count.
The Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen already uses mail in ballots. Coulson said the referendum regarding the loan needed for the fire truck will also be on the mail in ballot.
Also updated in the bylaw is increased transparency in sharing nomination documents and financial disclosures.
Coulson said she plans to put those online as soon as they are filed.
