A first will be offered when it comes to mail-in voting.
Elections Canada announced Wednesday that you will be able to apply online to vote by mail however once you have sent in your vote, you will be unable to change it afterwards, even if you want to do so before election day.
Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, says Canadians who want to mail-in their votes should plan to do so ahead of time.
“This is not a new option, in fact Canadians have been voting by mail even locally since 1993,” explains Perrault. “Electors should leave enough time for their voter kit to get to them, and for them to return it to elections Canada by election day.”
More mail-in ballots will also mean it will be slightly longer before we find out the results of the election.
“Canadians are used to getting complete results on election night, but it will be different for this election,” says Perrault. “The count of regular ballots on ordinary polling day and advanced polls will be completed on the night of the election as usual. The count of mail-in ballots will start after election day, once all the mail-in ballots dropped off at polling stations have been returned and integrity checks have been performed.”
It is not yet clear exactly when we will have a decision in the 2021 election, and will depend entirely on how many Canadians decide to use the mail-in format.
In terms of health and safety for those who cast their votes at a polling station, the restrictions will feel very familiar, following the current provincial guidelines.
In Ontario for example masks and social distancing of course will be in place.
Perrault details a little more about how they are ensuring the safest experience for all Canadian voters.
“We will have people in charge of ensuring the place is clean, and that the electors are physically distanced,” explains Perrault. “They will see for example these physical transparent barriers that will separate the poll workers that will service them to allow them to vote.”
Advanced polls begin on September 10 with Election Day set for September 20.
