Outbreak derails Newfoundland election plans

Voting postponed in nearly half of districts due to COVID-19 cases

Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial election has hit a bump in the road, after voting in several electoral districts was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the most densely populated part of the province.

The province’s chief electoral officer, Bruce Chaulk, announced Thursday that voting in 18 districts around the St. John’s area — almost half of Newfoundland and Labrador’s total — would be postponed to an undetermined later date. An outbreak in that region resulted in 94 new cases being announced since the beginning of the week, 53 on Wednesday alone.

After an initial outbreak last spring stemming from a funeral in St. John’s, the province’s daily new case numbers had not exceeded 10 until this week. Officials said there are now 110 active cases in the province — 94 of which were announced this week — and they expect that number to climb.

“With the announcement of significant increases in COVID-19 cases this week, my office has experienced considerable operational impacts,” said Chaulk in an emailed statement. “Many election workers have resigned out of fear of interacting with the public on Election Day. We cannot hold traditional polls without the support of these people.”

Chaulk also said that the large number of people in self-isolation as a result of the outbreak was a major concern. Because many of those potential voters were isolated in the past few days, few accommodations had been put into place to allow them to cast ballots.

“This is worrisome, as we now have confirmed community spread. I am concerned for our election workers and for the electorate, in general,” said Chaulk.

Voting in the remainder of Newfoundland and Labrador’s electoral districts will go ahead on Saturday as planned, but the results of those polls will not be released until the entire province has voted.

Mail-in voting options for the entire province have also been extended

Earlier in the day, Chaulk had sent a letter to the province’s party leaders calling for a postponement in the election, saying people who’d signed up to work at polling stations on Saturday were backing out in droves over fears of contracting and spreading COVID-19.

His letter cites a note from an election worker reporting that 51 people who were supposed to work voting day in one district had quit.

The worker also notes they’re now in isolation in connection with the outbreak and unable to work.

An Elections NL spokesperson said Thursday morning that her office had gone through a list of about 250 backup workers, and all declined the work.

Shortly afterwards, Premier Andrew Furey made a short statement: “I recognize that some people in the St. John’s metro area do not feel that they can safely go to the polls at this time, and I look forward to ElectionsNL and public health working together to explore all options for a safe and proper path forward.”

Since the calling of the election Jan. 15, Furey has faced criticism from both opposition parties that holding an election in the winter amidst a COVID-19 second wave was unsafe.

Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie on Wednesday called for a voting delay, telling reporters on a video call that he wanted authorities to take more time to plan a safe election in the face of widening COVID-19 spread. A spokesperson for NDP Leader Alison Coffin said Thursday morning that party officials were meeting about the situation.