A review of this year’s civic election in Kamloops shows there could have been hundreds of voters whose votes never got counted — thanks to mail-in voting.
Updating the outgoing city council on the election, Chief Election Officer Amanda Passmore says of the roughly one-thousand mail-in ballots they sent out this year, only around 600 made it back.
Part of this is being blamed on mail sorting for Kamloops, and many other Interior cities, being based out of the Lower Mainland.
Passmore says since the end of voting on Saturday, each day they’ve been getting back around 50 mail-in ballots, with Passmore calling it “regrettable.”
“I don’t want to miss out on any single vote, because they all absolutely matter, as we know, especially in an election with as low as it was,” noted Passmore.
But even with voter turnout in Kamloops at just over 29 percent, the results do show that the loss of 400 votes would not have impacted the outcome of any of the races for mayor, council or school board.
Elections officials to review how to increase voter turnout
Passmore says they will be looking at ways to try to limit the apparent voter apathy which surprised many in this year’s vote.
She says this may include adding an additional advanced polling station in 2026.
The City of Kamloops already created a second advanced polling station at MacArthur Island this year to complement the traditional early-voting location at Heritage House in Riverside Park.
Passmore also says they may look at increasing the number of polling stations available on general voting day.
“On Saturday [general voting day] we were talking about where we need to put more polls,” she suggested, pointing to how busy they were in the Aberdeen area. “Probably a good neighborhood to have two polls at,” added Passmore. “I suggested Pacific Way, we might bring in a poll there.”
As for adopting technology, such as the Internet, in the election process, Passmore suggests this is a concept which will likely be a non-starter.
“That is a decision which would have to come down from the federal government,” noted Passmore. “It is their prohibition.”
However, she says the security of the vote through the Internet is something that is of great concern for elections officers.
“That is where this, just a monstrous risk, comes into place for security and making sure those votes aren’t tampered with,” argued Passmore. “I would be surprised if we are voting electronically, like digitally or remotely, in my lifetime, or at least before I’m retired.”
In updating council on the cost of the election, Passmore says the city spent around $180,000 dollars this year.
That’s an increase of the $120,000 spent in 2018, which Passmore attributes to increased costs for election workers to cover both the additional advanced voting station on MacArthur Island and the new polling station established this year in Juniper.