LAKELAND - Voters who wish to vote by special ballot, including by mail, in advance at an Elections Canada office, on campus at a post-secondary institution, in a hospital, in a correctional institution, or in a military poll, have until April 22 to apply for their ballot, although depending on the specific situation an earlier deadline may apply.
According to data from Elections Canada, which is current as of April 1, 137 special ballots have been issued to voters in the Lakeland so far, and 270 special ballots have been issued in the Fort McMurray-Cold Lake riding.
According to data from the last federal election, in 2021 there were 2,272 special ballots issued in Lakeland and 3,525 issued to voters in the Fort McMurray-Cold Lake riding.
Voting by special ballot is different from voting at the regular polling stations. Special ballots do not have the candidates listed on them, instead voters write the first and last name of their chosen candidate on the ballot.
“You do not have to write the name of the political party, but if you do, your vote will still be counted, as long as you also write the name of the candidate you’re voting for. If you write only the name of a political party, your vote won’t be counted,” according to Elections Canada.
When ballots are returned by mail, they are placed in an unmarked envelope and sealed inside another envelope with the elector’s information on it, which is then sealed inside a pre-addressed and postage prepaid return envelope.
“Ballots that arrive after the deadline will not be counted, so make sure to factor in how long it will take for your ballot to arrive in the mail,” reads the Elections Canada website.
In 2021, 70 of the special ballots in Fort McMurray-Cold Lake and 150 of the special ballots in Lakeland were not counted because they were returned late.
