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Self-screening, mail-in ballots and advanced voting: COVID-19 safety precautions play a big part in Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt byelection

Thestar.com
Jan. 13, 2021

With COVID-19 rates high in the area, the city is encouraging Scarborough-Agincourt residents to exercise not just their right to vote, but also to exercise pandemic safety measures during the Ward 22 byelection on Friday.

Under the guidance of Toronto Public Health, Toronto Elections wants voters to observe safety precautions before and during in-person voting. This includes answering self-screening questions before going out to vote, staying home if you feel sick, wearing a mask and following physical distancing measures.

“Electors in Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt are encouraged to exercise their democratic right to vote and elect a representative,” said a spokesperson for Toronto Elections. “Strict health and safety measures have been implemented to keep electors safe in the voting place.”

Toronto isn’t the first city in Ontario to hold a byelection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ottawa, Windsor and Cambridge held municipal byelections last October. In the same month, Toronto held a federal byelection.

“Lessons learned from other jurisdictions include the importance in offering an alternative to in-person voting,” Toronto Elections said.

Earlier this month, voters opted to mail in their ballots. After registration closed on Jan. 4, Toronto Elections approved 4,082 mail-in voting requests. They have counted 1,280 mail-in ballots as of Jan. 7.

Advanced voting is another tactic Toronto Elections used to reduce potential lineups on election day. From Jan. 8 and Jan. 10, more than 2,000 Scarborough-Agincourt residents voted in two advanced in-person voting locations. Residents can also appoint a voting proxy if they can’t go out to vote.

“It is difficult to project what the turnout will be for the Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt byelection; however, currently the advance vote turnout is comparable to previous city of Toronto byelections,” Toronto Elections said.

Election staff will monitor voters to ensure that they’re following physical distancing protocols and wearing their masks. For the sake of privacy, voters will mark their ballots behind a screen in a separate area.

Toronto Public Health designed these precautions to be one-size-fits-all for geographical areas and their COVID-19 case counts, including Ward 22, which is in a part of Toronto that’s experiencing higher rates.

“In regards to per cent positivity in Scarborough, as we have seen throughout the pandemic, there are ongoing patterns of higher case rates and positivity rates in both the northeast and northwest regions of the city,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health.

Ward 22 residents can find out where they can cast their vote on election day by entering their addresses on MyVote. Toronto Elections selected these venues because they provide adequate space for election goings-on, including entry screening, voters list look-up and ballot counting.

The 27 city councillor candidates aren’t exempt from practising COVID-19 protocols. Although the province hasn’t passed regulations that limit candidates from campaigning or canvassing, the city said they “strongly encourage” them to follow COVID-19 safety precautions like anyone else.

There could be a chance for these measures to reappear in future elections, regardless of whether there’s still a global pandemic.

“Toronto Elections will undertake an evaluation of the mail-in ballot program and identify opportunities for improvement in any future use including potentially for 2022,” Toronto Elections said.