COVID Precautions in Place for the 41st Provincial General Election
Election Readiness Update Report
Media Release: July 13, 2021
Elections Nova Scotia – Nova Scotia is the only province in Canada without a fixed election date. As the independent agency responsible for administering provincial elections, Elections Nova Scotia must anticipate the earliest date on which a provincial general election could be called and plan accordingly. Given that the 40th provincial general election was held on May 30, 2017, the spring of 2022 is the latest possible time the 41st provincial general election could occur.
Elections Nova Scotia planned to be election ready as of April 1, 2021, and is now prepared to deliver the 41st provincial general election whenever the writs of election are issued.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique challenge to election readiness planning. Elections Nova Scotia worked with Public Health, to determine the precautions needed to ensure the safety and confidence of voters, election workers, candidates, and their campaign teams during the next provincial general election. Elections Nova Scotia is committed to planning for the safe delivery of a fair and inclusive election.
Strict COVID-19 protocols will be in place for in-person voting at all voting locations during the 41 Provincial General Election. Election workers and voters will wear masks and there will be tabletop shields. Physical distancing will be enforced at voting locations, and frequently used surfaces will be disinfected regularly. Voters will be asked to sanitize their hands at entrances and exits and bring their own pen. Election workers will minimize hand-to-hand contact with voters by touching their documents (i.e., Voter Information Card (VIC), IDs, etc.) as little as possible. There will be signage to help direct voters and to indicate where to stand to maintain physical distancing requirements.
Voters can decide to vote by mail using a write-in ballot when the 41st provincial general election is called by applying on-line for a write-in ballot. The on-line application for a write-in ballot kit is available now at electionsnovascotia.ca.
Elections Nova Scotia is a non-partisan and independent agency responsible for conducting provincial elections. For more information, please visit electionsnovascotia.ca, call 1-800-565-1504, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @electionsns.
Contact: Naomi Shelton
Director, Policy and Communications
Elections Nova Scotia
902-424-3275 or 902-223-4871