2015 Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite Reaches Halfway Point

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2015

VICTORIA – Today, Metro Vancouver voters begin the second half of the voting period for the transit plebiscite that began on Monday, March 16. Over 1.5 million voting packages were mailed to registered voters.

“To date, Elections BC has received approximately 495,000 ballot packages,” says Chief Electoral Officer Keith Archer. “340,605 ballot packages have been processed through our initial screening and we are receiving more each day.”

All ballot packages are sorted by the 23 voting municipalities, then machine opened. At initial screening, Elections BC officials manually remove the certification envelope and look for the voter’s signature and birthdate. Complete envelopes proceed through a validation process. All screened and validated certification envelopes then are stored until counting begins after the close of voting at 8 p.m. Friday, May 29. Detailed counts of ballot packages that have been screened and validated are reported on the Elections BC website at elections.bc.ca/plebiscite/files/2015_Plebiscite_Interim_Ballot_Returns.

“It is important to remind voters who have not yet voted to include both their signature and birthdate in the specified area on their certification envelope,” added Archer. “Completing this simple step is important to ensure that all plebiscite ballots are counted.”

Metro Vancouver voters have until midnight on Friday, May 15 to ask for a voting package. Completed ballot packages must be received by Elections BC before 8 p.m. on Friday, May 29. Completed ballot packages can be mailed in or dropped off at a Plebiscite Service Office.

For more information, visit elections.bc.ca/plebiscite, call 1-800-661-8683 or visit a Plebiscite Service Office (locations).

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Contact:
Don Main
Communications Manager
Elections BC
Phone: 250-387-1709
Email: Don.Main@elections.bc.ca
Website: elections.bc.ca

Elections BC is an independent, non-partisan Office of the Legislature responsible for administering electoral processes in B.C. in accordance with the Election Act, Recall and Initiative Act, Referendum Act and Local Elections Campaign Financing Act.