With just 3.7 per cent of B.C.’s Electoral Reform ballots returned to Elections BC as of Nov. 12, 2018, Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes is urging locals to make sure they get informed and vote in the provincial referendum.
Completed ballots must be received by Elections BC by 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 30, meaning they should be in the mail by Monday, Nov. 26. The last day to request a missing ballot is Nov. 23 at midnight.
Of Cariboo North’s roughly 20,000 eligible voters, Oakes said Friday the local average of returned ballots is higher than the B.C. average, at 5.9 per cent. But she said she’s hearing many reports that people in her riding have not yet received their ballot in the mail.
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“I’m encouraging everyone, don’t wait at this point. … Even if they send you another ballot, with the postal strike, I’m concerned whether people will receive them.”
She said in the last few days, she’s received daily reports that people have not yet found their ballot in the mail.
“It’s just started in the last few days, probably because people have been patient and waiting. But as we get closer to the deadline, more people are saying, ‘Hey, I haven’t got my ballot yet.’”
Oakes said she visited the Elections BC office in Victoria last week, and they said all ballots had been mailed out.
She said they advised her to let people know to call their toll-free number or send them an email if they haven’t yet received theirs. Voters have until midnight Nov. 23 to request their ballot. Call 1-800-661-8683 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), visit a Service BC office or visit Elections.bc.ca/rso to do so.
Oakes wondered if the ballot return numbers so far are due to a lack of information on the various options.
“I think maybe what a lot of people are waiting for was there are still unanswered questions… there are lots of questions I’ve been asked, and we have been asking those of the government in Victoria, and they continue to say to wait until after the election to determine what that will look like.”
Oakes believes the education campaign during this referendum has been weak.
“We have been saying all along, if you were putting out the question about Proportional Representation, similar to what happened in the [electoral reform] referendums in 2005 and 2009, you need to have a strong education campaign. I think what was important during those referendums was [having] a citizens assembly made up of non-politicians, where you had representatives from each of the communities that spent a significant amount of time on the education piece; maps were produced to show what the ridings would look like… those are important pieces that were done in the past that weren’t done this time, and I think in many respects that’s why you are seeing such a low turnout.”
She said personally, she’ll be voting for First Past the Post.
“If I’m voting for something, I want to have the information, and at this point I’m voting for First Past The Post because I feel there is not enough information on the three proposed models the government has put forward,” she explained.
No matter what they vote for, Oakes said she wants people to make sure they exercise their right.
“I’m encouraging people to get educated – there’s information on Elections BC – and I’m encouraging people that if they haven’t got their ballot, to call Elections BC right away.”
editor@quesnelobserver.com
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