Political parties are currently campaigning for a pandemic and emergency arrangements as the official campaign approaches, but the governing body of the Ontario election has long focused on possible pandemic elections.
Election leader Greg Essensa wrote to the chief health doctor in the summer of 2020 requesting a working group and the two offices have met regularly since then, he said.  Elections Ontario accepts the advice of a leading physician and examines how other jurisdictions have conducted elections over the past two years.
When voters show up on June 2, they will see floor markings for physical distance, Plexiglas screens, hand sanitizer and masks available – no face masks required by voters or staff, but provided for those who wish.
But Essensa hopes many voters will consider avoiding the June 2 ballot altogether.
“I think one of the things we are really trying to do in this election is really look at leveling the voting curve,” he said in an interview.
“Traditionally in Ontario – it has always been that way – probably 85 to 90 percent of those who vote vote on election day … we want voters to vote when it suits them, when it’s the right time for them, ensuring they can come “And to vote in a safe way. That, indeed, is our ultimate goal.”
This year, there will be 10 days of advanced voting, out of five, Essensa said, and the local return officer can relocate the polling station.  It could be held for a few days in one community, then for a few days in another riding community, which will be especially useful for rural areas, he said.
Elections Ontario also has a new online ballot application process.  People can register from May 4 to 27, and the local return officer must have the ballot by 6 p.m.  of election day.
Other counties holding pandemic elections have seen significant increases in demand for mail-order voting, Essensa said.
Ontario only had about 10,000 people voting by mail in the 2018 election, but this year is likely to be much more.  In last year ‘s federal election, 300,000 of the postal ballots came from Ontario, Essensa said.
In the run-up to the election, the NDP is still planning to prioritize personal events for leader Andrea Horwath, but will have taken some public health measures, the party’s executive director said.
“(With virtual events) there is something missing, that warm, human feeling you feel when you are in a room with people,” Lucy Watson said in an interview.
“The virtual events we did were extremely successful, huge attendance, tremendous energy and I think people still managed to make that connection. But, again, our preference and priority is definitely to have the leader meet with Ontarians. in their communities “.
The design is still in progress, but many events will likely resemble the Horwath Rally that took place last Sunday – outdoors with the required masks, Watson said.  All candidates and any volunteers who interact with a member of the public are fully vaccinated, he said.
During the poll, the party “strongly encourages” candidates and volunteers to remain masked, Watson said.  Recently, an existing candidate tested positive for COVID-19 a day after knocking on her door.  She and others in this situation will follow all isolation guidelines, Watson said.
The party also plans to have a COVID compliance staff member as part of the central campaign, he said.
“We believe it is our shared responsibility to mitigate the risk and our primary goal is to ensure that the activities are safe for the volunteers and activists, the candidates and the members of the public who interact with them,” Watson said.
The Liberals were fired upon by some supporters for a recent indoor event in which candidates appeared uncovered, despite public health rules being followed.  Party spokeswoman Beckie Codd-Downey said they would continue to follow the restrictions during the campaign.
“Our candidates are all vaccinated and future candidates will be as well,” she said in a statement.  “(Leader Steven Del Duca) loves to take to the streets and connect the world, and we intend to continue as long as it is safe.”
Becky Smith, president of the Ontario Greens’ campaign, said she would follow the advice of public health experts.
“This includes taking precautions such as covering and physical distance to indoor events and using outdoor spaces when possible,” he said in a written statement.  “We are running a flexible and agile campaign and we are ready to rotate as needed.”
In a statement, the Progressive Conservatives said the party “will continue to follow all public health rules”.
As the campaign approaches, Elections Ontario has launched a new app that will allow voters to map their polling stations, view candidate information, vote options, and receive notifications when a new candidate registers.  It also provides an electronic version of the voter ballot, with a barcode.
This Canadian Press report was first published on April 10, 2022.

title: “Elections Ontario Offering More Options For Voting Other Than In Person On June 2 " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-04” author: “John Pederson”

Political parties are currently making pandemic campaign plans and contingency arrangements as the official campaign start nears, but the body that administers Ontario’s elections has had a possible pandemic election in its sights for a long time. Chief electoral officer Greg Essensa wrote to the chief medical officer of health in the summer of 2020 asking for a task force, and the two offices have been meeting regularly since then, he said. Elections Ontario is taking the advice of the top doctor as well as looking at how other jurisdictions have run elections over the past two years. When voters show up on June 2, they will see floor signage for physical distancing, Plexiglas screens, hand sanitizer and masks available — face coverings won’t be required of voters or staff but will be supplied for those who want one. But Essensa is hoping many voters consider avoiding ballot boxes on June 2 altogether. “I think one of the things that we’re really trying to do this election is really look at flattening the curve of the vote,” he said in an interview. “Traditionally in Ontario — it has always been this way — probably 85 to 90 per cent of those who vote, vote on election day … we want electors to vote when it’s convenient for them, when the time is right for them, ensuring that they can come and vote in a safe, secure fashion. Really, that’s our ultimate goal.”

Advanced voting to last 10 days

This year, there will be 10 days of advanced voting, up from five, Essensa said, and the local returning officer can move the poll location. It could be held for a few days in one community, then a few days in another community in the riding, which will be particularly helpful for rural areas, he said. As well, Elections Ontario has a new online process to apply for a mail-in ballot. People can sign up from May 4 to May 27 and the local returning officer has to have the ballot by 6 p.m. on election day. Other provinces that have held pandemic elections have seen significant increases in demand for voting by mail, Essensa said. Ontario only had about 10,000 people vote by mail in the 2018 election, but this year it will likely be far more. In last year’s federal election, 300,000 of the mail-in ballots came from Ontario, Essensa said. On the campaign trail, the NDP is still planning to prioritize in-person events for leader Andrea Horwath, but will have a number of public health measures in place, said the party’s executive director. On the campaign trail, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath says all candidates and any volunteers who will interact with a member of the public are fully vaccinated. (Erik White/CBC )
“[With virtual events] there is something that is lost, that sort of warm, human feeling that you get when you’re in a room with folks,” Lucy Watson said in an interview. “The virtual events that we’ve done have been hugely successful, tremendous turnout, tremendous energy, and I think folks have still been able to make that connection. But, again, our preference and our priority is certainly to have the leader meet with Ontarians in their communities.”

Parties pledge to follow public health rules 

Planning is still underway, but many events will likely look like a rally Horwath held last Sunday — outdoors with masks required, Watson said. All candidates and any volunteer who will interact with a member of the public are fully vaccinated, she said. When canvassing, the party is “strongly encouraging” candidates and volunteers to stay masked, Watson said. Recently, one incumbent candidate tested positive for COVID-19 a day after door knocking in her riding. She and others in that situation will adhere to all isolation guidelines, Watson said. The party also plans to have a COVID compliance staff member as part of the central campaign, she said. “We believe that it’s our shared responsibility to mitigate risk, and our primary goal is to ensure that activities are safe for the volunteers and the campaigners, the candidates and for the members of the public who are interacting with them,” Watson said.  The Liberals came under fire from some supporters for a recent indoor event at which candidates appeared unmasked, though public health rules were followed. Party spokeswoman Beckie Codd-Downey said for the duration of the campaign they will continue to follow restrictions. Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca at the party’s annual general meeting in Toronto on Oct. 17, 2021. The party says it will continue to follow public health restrictions for the duration of the campaign after coming under fire from some supporters for a recent indoor event at which candidates appeared unmasked, though public health rules were followed. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)
“Our candidates are all vaccinated and future candidates will be as well,” she said in a statement. “[Leader Steven Del Duca] loves to be out on the road connecting with people and we plan to continue as long as it’s safe.” Becky Smit, the Ontario Greens’ campaign chair, said they will follow the advice of public health experts. “That includes taking precautions like masking and physical distancing at indoor events, and using outdoor spaces when possible,” she said in a written statement. “We’re running a versatile and flexible campaign and are ready to pivot as needed.” A statement from the Progressive Conservatives said the party “will continue to follow all public health rules.” As the campaign approaches, Elections Ontario has launched a new app, which will let voters map their poll locations, see candidate information, options on ways to vote and get notifications when a new candidate is registered. It also provides an electronic version of the voter information card, complete with barcode.

title: “Elections Ontario Offering More Options For Voting Other Than In Person On June 2 " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Betty Lawrence”

Political parties are currently campaigning for a pandemic and emergency arrangements as the official campaign approaches, but the governing body of the Ontario election has long focused on possible pandemic elections. Election leader Greg Essensa wrote to the chief health doctor in the summer of 2020 requesting a working group and the two offices have met regularly since then, he said. Elections Ontario accepts the advice of a leading physician and examines how other jurisdictions have conducted elections over the past two years. When voters show up on June 2, they will see floor markings for physical distance, Plexiglas screens, hand sanitizer and masks available – no face masks required by voters or staff, but provided for those who wish. But Essensa hopes many voters will consider avoiding the June 2 ballot altogether. “I think one of the things we are really trying to do in this election is really look at leveling the voting curve,” he said in an interview. “Traditionally in Ontario – it has always been so – probably 85 to 90 percent of those who vote vote on election day … we want voters to vote when it is convenient for them, when it is the right time for them, ensuring that they can come and go. vote in a safe way. “That’s really our ultimate goal.”

The advanced voting will take 10 days

This year, there will be 10 days of advanced voting, out of five, Essensa said, and the local return officer can relocate the polling station. It could be held for a few days in one community, then for a few days in another riding community, which will be especially useful for rural areas, he said. Elections Ontario also has a new online ballot application process. People can register from May 4 to 27, and the local return officer must have the ballot by 6 p.m. of election day. Other counties holding pandemic elections have seen significant increases in demand for mail-order voting, Essensa said. Ontario only had about 10,000 people voting by mail in the 2018 election, but this year is likely to be much more. In last year ‘s federal election, 300,000 of the postal ballots came from Ontario, Essensa said. In the run-up to the election, the NDP is still planning to prioritize personal events for leader Andrea Horwath, but will have taken some public health measures, the party’s executive director said. In the wake of the campaign, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath says all candidates and all volunteers who interact with a member of the public are fully vaccinated. (Erik White / CBC)
“[With virtual events] “There is something missing, that warm, human feeling you feel when you are in a room with people,” Lucy Watson said in an interview. “The virtual events we did were extremely successful, huge attendance, tremendous energy and I think people still managed to make that connection. But, again, our preference and priority is definitely to have the leader meet with Ontarians. in their communities “.

The parties are committed to following the rules of public health

Planning is still underway, but many events are likely to resemble a Horwath rally last Sunday – outdoors with the required masks, Watson said. All candidates and any volunteers who interact with a member of the public are fully vaccinated, he said. During the poll, the party “strongly encourages” candidates and volunteers to remain masked, Watson said. Recently, an existing candidate tested positive for COVID-19 a day after knocking on her door. She and others in this situation will follow all isolation guidelines, Watson said. The party also plans to have a COVID compliance staff member as part of the central campaign, he said. “We believe it is our shared responsibility to mitigate the risk and our primary goal is to ensure that the activities are safe for the volunteers and activists, the candidates and the members of the public who interact with them,” Watson said. The Liberals were fired upon by some supporters for a recent indoor event in which candidates appeared uncovered, despite public health rules being followed. Party spokeswoman Beckie Codd-Downey said they would continue to follow the restrictions during the campaign. Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca at the party’s annual general meeting in Toronto on October 17, 2021. The party says it will continue to pursue public health restrictions during the campaign after being fired upon by some supporters for a recent indoor event in which candidates appeared uncovered, although public health rules were followed. (Chris Young / Canadian Press)
“Our candidates are all vaccinated and future candidates will be as well,” she said in a statement. “[Leader Steven Del Duca] “I like to go out on the street and connect with people and we intend to continue as long as it is safe.” Becky Smith, president of the Ontario Greens’ campaign, said she would follow the advice of public health experts. “This includes taking precautions such as covering and physical distance to indoor events and using outdoor spaces when possible,” he said in a written statement. “We are running a flexible and agile campaign and we are ready to rotate as needed.” In a statement, the Progressive Conservatives said the party “will continue to follow all public health rules”. As the campaign approaches, Elections Ontario has launched a new app that will allow voters to map their polling stations, view candidate information, vote options, and receive notifications when a new candidate registers. It also provides an electronic version of the voter ballot, with a barcode.