During the last provincial election in September 2020, confusion reigned at the Sackville polling station, with Elections NB workers mistakenly turning away eligible student voters throughout the polling day. Some students told CHMA at the time that they had to try multiple times to get through the voting process without being turned away. Others left in frustration, without voting at all.
It’s a situation Garth Zwicker is confident can be avoided this October 21, as the province’s electors get another chance to weigh in on who forms the government of New Brunswick.
Zwicker is the returning officer for the riding of Tantramar, the smallest riding by population in the province since the electoral map was redrawn last spring.
CHMA caught up with Zwicker last week at the Tantramar returning office at 95 Bridge Street, to find out more about how voting will take place this time around in Tantramar.
The Tantramar returning office will officially open at 10am on Thursday September 19, the day the writ is scheduled to drop, triggering the 2024 provincial election. Electors should have voting cards by October 7.
On election day, October 21, nine different polling stations will open across the riding (in Murray Corner, Baie Verte, Cape Tormentine, Port Elgin, Sackville, Dorchester, Midgic, Westcock, and Mount Whatley) in addition to the returning office at 95 Bridge Street.
But there are also ways to vote before election day. Two advance polling stations (the Tantramar Civic Centre in Sackville and PEDVAC in Port Elgin) will open on Saturday, October 12 and Tuesday, October 15. And this year will also see the return of on campus polling.
And after running the snap 2020 election with no campus presence, Elections NB is bringing back additional campus polling stations this year. Polling will open on the Mount Allison campus, in Tweedie Hall at the Wallace McCain Student Centre, from October 15 to 18.
Zwicker says people can also vote at the returning office anytime up until 8pm on October 21, and can apply in advance for mail-in ballots by filling out forms on the Elections NB website. Special voting officers will also be available to help those with mobility or other impairments vote from home, and to coordinate voting in nursing and other care homes.
“Elections New Brunswick is doing a phenomenal job of working on getting the vote out,” says Zwicker. He says campus polling stations will be hiring students when possible, and ensuring that “there’s no glitches, no hiccups.” He says he’s confident it will “all goes smoothly, and everybody who can vote, can vote.”
Though there are a small number of perennial voices that question the eligibility of Mount Allison students to vote as residents of the Tantramar riding, Zwicker says the rules are clear. Voters must be Canadian citizens, over 18, and “permanently living” in New Brunswick for at least 40 days as of election day. And they need to be living in the district they want to vote in on election day.
An independent investigation on voter interference at the Sackville polling station in 2020 found that “confusion, as well as misinterpretation” of the 40-day residency rule and how it applies to students was a major factor contributing to the problems at the polls, and made recommendations including increased training for poll workers, scrutineers from political parties, and students themselves.
But it’s the timing of the election this time around (48 days after the beginning of classes for Mount Allison students) which will likely prevent a recurrence of the confusion.
“Thankfully, because the election will take place on October 21, that gives the students more than enough time to establish residency,” says Zwicker. Elections NB is also working with Mount Allison for a pre-approved letter vouching for students living on campus in residence.
Zwicker says anyone with questions or specialized voting situations should contact the returning office. Voter cards are due to arrive around October 7, but “if you don’t receive your voting card for whatever reason, come on in and see us,” says Zwicker. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re on the list if you’re eligible.”
