A record number of Tri-City voters have opted to cast their ballots in advance polls this provincial election cycle, in step with massive early voter turnout across the province.
The numbers from Elections BC paint a unique picture of how British Columbians have adapted during the first election held during a pandemic in 100 years.
According to data from Elections BC, more than 32,000 people have already voted in the four area ridings, up 14% compared to the 2017 election. Port Coquitlam has seen the largest increase in advance voting, up 33%, while the Port Moody-Coquitlam riding rose 13%, Coquitlam-Maillardville increased 6.3% and Coquitlam-Burke Mountain is up 5.9%.
The rise in advanced voting in the Tri-Cities mirrors what has been seen in the rest of British Columbia as voters are heading to the polls in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elections BC data shows that 681,055 people in the province have cast ballots ahead of the Oct. 24 general voting day, while an additional 396,000 mail-in ballots have been returned.
Requests for vote-by-mail packages have far exceeded election officials expectations, with close to 700,000 people asking for a mail-in ballot, more than 100 times the number requested in 2017. In some ridings, mail-in ballots make up more than 25% of registered voters.
In 2017, only 265 Tri-City voters submitted vote-by-mail ballots. And while it's not known how many will be officially counted yet this year, nearly 40,000 vote-by-mail packages were issued to voters: 11,088 in Port Moody-Coquitlam (40,654 registered voters); 9,884 in Port Coquitlam (44,136 registered voters); 9,572 Coquitlam-Burke Mountain (45,503 registered voters); and 8,129 to voters of Coquitlam-Maillardville (39,137 registered voters).
If all the vote-by-mail packaged were cast, that would mean a nearly 14,500% increase over last election cycle.
Vote-by-mail packages are collected centrally and won’t be counted until at least 13 days after general voting day, and that period may be extended depending on how quickly electoral staff are able to handle the significant increase in mail-in packages this year, according to chief electoral officer Anton Boegman.
“It’s going to be very busy 13 days,” said Boegman. “And if need be, it will be longer.”
That means the spike in advanced voter turnout and vote-by-mail ballots could delay the final results of the election.
"Usually, 90% of all ballots cast in an election are counted on election night," Boegman told a news conference on Friday. "In this election, it could be between 65 to 70%.”
Once the final count begins, it usually lasts three days. But with new social distancing measures in place and a massive move toward advanced and mail-in voting, British Columbians may not know the results of the election until after Nov. 16, the date by which election officials aim but don’t guarantee to finish counting the mail-in ballots.
For those looking to vote on Election Day — Saturday, Oct. 24, —Boegman said “voting will be similar to getting a cup of coffee or picking up groceries in terms of time spent.”
Still, he added people voting in person can expect safety measures, including physical distancing, capacity limits, sanitization stations, protective barriers and officials wearing personal protective gear.
There are still ballots in the mail system and Boegman said election staff would be at Canada Post's main distribution centre on Saturday to make sure all of the ballots received by the time polls close at 8 p.m. are collected for screening.
Voters who have received but not returned a vote-by-mail ballot package can still do so by submitting them in person at their local district electoral office. Those who requested a vote-by-mail package but opt to vote again in person on Election Day will have their vote disqualified and leave themselves open to possible investigation.
Boegman said Elections BC has requested $6 million to cover reelection costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that it’s not yet clear how much this election will cost, or if it will overrun the $39 million spent on the 2017 election.
-With files from the Canadian Press
