With COVID concerns and Wildfire emergencies in British Columbia, Mail in Ballots could see increased use in Federal election

Stock photo of mail in balloting

As Canadians weigh their options for candidates in their local ridings running as part of the September Federal election campaign, another decision may also be on their mind, whether to make a trip to a voting booth or just mail in their ballot for counting on September 20th.

With COVID case counts on the rise again more than a few Canadians may just take advantage of the mail in ballot option offered by Elections Canada for the 2021 campaign. 

Likewise those living in areas of this province currently facing challenging times from wildfires may choose to drop a ballot in a mailbox rather than the more traditional Election Day trip to a polling station.

Elections Canada outlined how the Mail In Ballot process will work as part of the launch of their campaign 2021 website on Monday, though the window of opportunity to participate by the mail in process is rather short with voters asked to apply for the special ballot by September 14th.

Mail in Ballots proved popular during the course of last years BC election, which saw close to 600,000 voters participate by mail, a sharp spike in participation from 2017 when only 6,500 voters used the mail to make their mark.

The 2020 campaign spike was attributed to concerns by many voters over COVID which was of significant note during the provincial campaign of last year.

Voting by mail is one of four options available to Canadians in the days leading up to General Election Day on September 20th.

Notes for voters in Skeena-Bulkley Valley are being updated regularly through the Elections Canada page for this riding, which you can access here. 

For those looking for some temporary work, they also offer a job application link towards their employment program.

For more information on the 2021 vote from Elections Canada see their website here.

Updates on the campaign trail through Skeena-Bulkley Valley can be reviewed here.