Is it worth voting for the price?
That is a question that people living outside of Newfoundland and Labrador are wondering, since they essentially have to pay to vote in the next provincial elections.
Voters who need to send their tickets are responsible for paying messaging rates, which could be at least $ 34, during the current Canada post strike.
“I’m not sure at this point,” said Maria O’Neill, who goes to university in Antigonish, ns
At 21, this will be the first time of O’Neill to vote in a provincial election.
“I don’t think anyone should pay to vote,” he said. “They are definitely not the amounts that it would cost to send through Fedex, UPS or Purolator.”
CBC News looked for appointments for these messaging services, and found the cheapest rates from Antigonish to St. John’s Range from approximately $ 34 to more than $ 100 depending on speed and company.
In general, people who wish to vote by mail can request a special ballot, which is delivered along with a prepaid envelope to send it by mail.
However, this year, the strike of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers means that voters cannot send their tickets through Canada Post.
O’Neill said the elections that NL called her to ask if she returned to Terranova for Thanksgiving, or if there was someone who knew she could leave her ballot for her.
If not, she would be responsible for covering the cost.
“I feel quite helpless,” O’Neill said.
Daniel Fuchs is studying in Montreal, but still wants to vote in the provincial elections.
“If it costs $ 50, I will probably not pay for that, just to be able to vote,” he said he said to the NL elections
Fuchs says that the elections that NL suggested to find other students who could share the cost of sending their tickets. But that was not an option.
“I’m a bit disappointed,” he said. “I know it’s expensive, but it seems that NL elections should cover that.”
Fuchs said he found a friend who could have brought his vote back to Terranova, but did not receive his vote on time from the NL elections
Mail voting kits must be received before October 11
CBC News contacted the NL elections on the mail voting process, but the organization rejected interview requests.
“If you have chosen that your vote kit by mail delivers for alternative service, you are responsible for returning to the NL elections for the established deadlines,” says your website.
“You can choose to return the kit to any of the more than 70 offices, or for the delivery service of your choice. You can also communicate with your closest office to schedule a truck if available.”
NL elections said you have tried to contact people who submitted a special voting application before the postal strike began.
The deadline has already been to request a special vote.
Mail voting kits must be sent and received in St. John’s before October 11 at 4 PM NT.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers did not answer the question of CBC about its plan to deliver tickets by mail, but sent a statement on Friday about the state of the negotiations.
The union has recovered voting kits by mail that remain in the postal system for the municipal elections of St. John.
In a statement, Canada Post said it is “disappointed that the union chose to increase its strike activity.”
‘Tal Barrera’
On Friday, O’Neill was still deciding if he will pay to vote, but he is surprised that there are no current measures for the possibility of a strike after Canada.
As a voter for the first time, she wants her opinion to be heard and her vote told.
“It’s a barrier to me,” O’Neill said. “I am really worried about how many other people will affect.”
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