New Westminster is taking action to expand voting opportunities for the Oct. 15 civic election.
On Monday, council gave three readings to an elections procedures bylaw that will allow the city to offer voting and elector registration to be done by mail and to expand special voting opportunities. Last June, council directed staff to implement a mail balloting system for the 2022 civic election.
“It is good to see us moving in this direction,” said Coun. Patrick Johnstone. “I know people were asking for voting mail-in options at the last election.”
Johnstone said he appreciates staff’s efforts to put together a process in time for this year’s election.
“I appreciate seeing what other cities have done, just for comparison, to recognize how complex this is in other cities, so we know we are not making this up as we go along; we are using the best practice,” he said.
Johnstone said the instructions around mail-in balloting are “going to be a little bit complex” and questioned if the city would be making those instructions available in languages other English.
“It might be helpful,” he said. “I know the ballots probably have to be in English, I suspect, but can we provide instructions in other languages and is there a process to do that?”
Nicole Ludwig, assistant city clerk and the city’s deputy chief election officer, said staff is looking into opportunities to provide voting instructions in languages other than English, but is still determining which languages will be included. In addition, she noted that pictures will be accompanying the written instructions.
City clerk Jacque Killawee, who is the city’s chief election officer, said staff is currently determining which languages should be included in the instructions to voters.
“We have heard a lot of feedback from the immigrant servicing community saying Punjabi isn’t really the language to use if you want to help assist people because most Punjabi people within our community have a good grasp of English or live in a household with other members who have good English,” she noted. “But there are certain African communities or South Asian communities that do really require that translation. So we are just working … on determining which languages we would translate to.”
Expanding SVOs
The Feb. 28 report to council said staff also want to use the proposed changes as a way to consolidate the special voting opportunities bylaw into the city’s main elections procedures bylaw. Currently, the special voting opportunities (SVO) bylaw only allows electors to vote at a special voting opportunity if they’re a patient at a hospital where a SVO is scheduled.
“In 2018, there were four SVOs held: Dunwood Place, Thornebridge Gardens, Royal Columbian Hospital and the Queen’s Park Care Centre,” said the report. “The emphasis on hospital-like settings in the current SVO bylaw (does) not align with the needs of electors facing other barriers to voting.”
According to staff, changing the definition of who can vote at special voting opportunities aligns with the city’s work on diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism by reaching out to people who are often disenfranchised from the election process.
“These proposed amendments will extend SVOs to additional sites, thereby increasing accessibility to voting for electors who experience physical and mental health-related challenges,” said the report. “The provision of SVOs at social service centres will also enhance accessibility to voting stations for voters facing acute socioeconomic conditions, recognizing that they are frequent users of these social infrastructures. This will bring the City of New Westminster in line with other local municipalities who provide this type of special voting opportunity.”
Once the local government elections procedures amendment bylaw is approved by council, staff will develop detailed procedures for mail ballot voting and instructions for residents who wish to vote by mail. Staff will also work with local organizations about holding a special voting opportunity for people who access services during Homelessness Action Week.
In addition, staff will work to ensure that all seniors’ homes in the city are aware of the mail-in ballot process. They will also explore special voting opportunities at Royal Columbian Hospital and Queen’s Park Care Home, considering COVID-19 protocols that may be in place in October.
Follow Theresa McManus on Twitter @TheresaMcManus
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