Voters exposed to COVID-19 can’t cast ballots in person this election

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Anyone who has or believes they’ve had COVID-19 won’t be able to vote in person in the upcoming Canadian election.

“Electors should contact their local public health authority for advice on what to do if they develop symptoms. If an elector tests positive, their public health authority will explain the next steps to them,” reads a section on the Elections Canada website.

The time has passed to vote by mail, which means Canadians exposed to the virus are out of luck.

“To do something else, to have another [voting] event, that would require changes to the law,” said Elections Canada spokesperson Andrea Marantz.

On @NEWS1130 & @CityNewsVAN: bad news if you were hoping to vote in-person in #Elxn44 on Monday & don’t have a mail-in ballot: you can’t go to an election place if you are required to self-isolate. The rule is clearly stated on the @ElectionsCan_E website. pic.twitter.com/N5MCYX4E88

— Ria Renouf (@riarenouf) September 16, 2021

In British Columbia, people have to isolate for 10 to 14 days, but that period can vary based on their situation and whether they need to get tested.

“It’s very sad,” said Marantz, noting that the agency tried to publicize voting alternatives as much as it could. “It’s not something that really sits well with anyone. We really want to facilitate voting for all Canadians.”

If you have a mail-in ballot at home but are isolating due to COVID-19, you can still have someone drop it off for you, she adds.

“If you have somebody who is bringing you your groceries, you can leave your ballot on the front step and they can take it. As long as they are in the same electoral district as you, in the same riding, they can drop it off on Monday. Or they can take it down to the returning office and drop it off for you,” she says.

Bad news for a likely low turnout: poli sci professor

An associate professor of Political Science at the University of the Fraser Valley, Hamish Telford, is worried about the outcomes. Turnout might suffer with potential voters unable to cast their ballot, he says.

“[The federal election] was called in the middle of summer, when people were on holiday. It was called when people had other preoccupations and really didn’t want to engage in an election. It’s at a time when many people are afraid to go out into public. And then of course there may people who, are in fact, sick,” he told CityNews.

WATCH: I reached out to @HamishTelford, who says this move will unfortunately further hamper what he thinks will be a low turnout for #Elxn44 ” pic.twitter.com/MD88BV19ac

— Ria Renouf (@riarenouf) September 16, 2021

Some parties might be affected more than others.

“People who are falling sick now are predominantly unvaccinated individuals. And the party that has become sort of the, movement for anti-vaxxers is the People (sic) Party. So if there are unvaccinated people who are too ill to vote, it may impact their vote more than it would for other parties,” said Telford.

Secure online voting could be a solution, though Telford says Elections Canada has been “very reluctant to go with online voting.”

“It’s not a matter of motivation. It’s a matter of change to the law. Elections Canada can put forward a bunch of recommendations, but it has to be passed by Parliament,” she says.

“And until that’s changed, we have to operate under the parameters of the existing law.”

About 5.7 million Canadians voted in advance polling earlier this month.