Election Readiness Update Report Released
Election Readiness Update Report
Media Release: January 7, 2021
Elections Nova Scotia – Chief Electoral Officer, Richard Temporale, has released a second update report on Elections Nova Scotia’s (ENS) election readiness planning for the 41st provincial general election, which outlines challenges faced over the past two years including a year’s delay in funding, a global pandemic, and legislative uncertainty.
The purpose of this report is to provide all Nova Scotians an update on where ENS’s election readiness plans stand to date. The report highlights the various ways in which election delivery may change and what the next provincial general election could look like from the point of view of voters, candidates, political parties, and the media. This includes voting safely measures to flatten the curve for COVID-19, an anticipated uptake in early voting options, the need for legislative clarity regarding the proclamation of Bill 225, and potential challenges with election night vote counting.
“In the absence of fixed date election legislation, Elections Nova Scotia must anticipate the earliest date on which a provincial general election may be called and plan and budget accordingly,” says Temporale. “What is most important at this time is to ensure that we are prepared to deliver a safe, fair, inclusive and balanced election by April 1, 2021 to the high standards that all voters, candidates and campaign teams have grown to expect.”
ENS previously identified challenges facing election readiness planning in the 2018-2019 Annual Report and then published the first update report on November 6, 2019, which announced a shift in the election readiness deadline from April 1, 2020 to April 1, 2021. ENS’s 2019-2020 Annual Report, release in September 2020, further outlined current challenges impacting election readiness planning.
The election readiness update report is available on this website in PDF format.
ENS is an independent non-partisan agency that reports to the members of the House of Assembly through the Speaker. Its mandate is to deliver provincial elections impartially and professionally.
Contact: Naomi Shelton
Director, Policy and Communications
Elections Nova Scotia
902-424-3275 or 902-223-4871