Thursday, March 28, 2024

Elections BC offering assisted telephone voting for people with disabilities

Share

Elections BC says they will be offering assisted telephone voting for people who are prevented from voting in-person or by mail.

The service is only available for voters:

  • with vision loss
  • who have a disability or underlying health condition that prevents them from voting independently, or
  • voters who are self-isolating during the last week of the campaign period and are unable to vote by mail

In a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman stressed that the process for telephone voting is reserved for people in need.

He added that assisted telephone voting was first tried in 2017 with help from the Canadian Institute for the Blind. It requires extensive time to verify security information and to vote.

“If an ineligible voter attempts to vote by telephone, it could tie up phone lines needed by those who are eligible,” said Elections BC.

Elections BC says that voters who do not wish to vote in person should request a vote-by-mail package as soon as possible.

Vote-by-mail will be available for every voter in British Columbia. Voters can request a package at elections.bc.ca/ovr. Information on assisted telephone voting, vote-by-mail, and general election information can be found by calling1-800-661-8683.

Tim Ford
Tim Ford
Digital staff writer with Victoria Buzz

Read more

Latest Stories