Snowbird voters will encounter easier ride
Quebecers wintering abroad can mail, fax or email their ballot to Elections Quebec
Snowbirds hoping to cast their ballots from afar will find that the process has been simplified since the last provincial election, officials said Thursday.
With the campaign in full swing back home, Quebecers who spend the harsh winter months in warmer climates — along with those who are away for other reasons for less than two years — may choose to vote by mail.
During the last wintertime election, held in December 2008, nearly 5,500 eligible voters took advantage of this option.
The 2012 election, which washeldjustafterLabourDay, saw only 3,269 votes sent in by mail from outside Quebec.
The process itself is fairly straightforward. Voters first fill out an application form, which can be mailed, faxed or emailed along with two pieces of identification to Elections Quebec. The ability to email the application is a new feature — one that Quebec’s chief electoral officer is hoping will make the process quicker and easier.
“Under an agreement that was entered into between the chief electoral officer and the leaders of the political parties represented at the National Assembly, an elector can register online, scan identity documents, and authenticate his signature (on the web),” said a release issued Thursday by Elections Quebec.
Once the electronic or paper application is received and processed, the voter will get his or her ballot in the mail wherever they happen to be staying. The absentee ballot, once marked, must reach Elections Quebec by 8 p.m. on election day, April 7. Any vote that isn’t received by that deadline will not be counted, so snowbirds were being encouraged to get a head-start on the process this week.
Almost immediately, however, there was a technical glitch. The French application form could easily be downloaded on Thursday morning from the Elections Quebec website, but the link to the English version turned up an error message.
Elections Quebec spokeswoman Marilyn Brochu confirmed at 11:30 a.m. that her office had received complaints about the problem and was working to fix it. Within 30 minutes, the link was working.
Meanwhile, Elections Quebec held a news conference on Thursday morning to unveil an advertising campaign designed to encourage more Quebecers to exercise their right to cast a ballot on April 7. The participation rate in the last provincial election was 74.6 per cent, the highest rate recorded since 1998.
For more detailed information, voters can head to monvote.qc.ca/en or call 1-888-3532846.