Election day a breeze at voting stations

almost 5 years in timescolonist

Unprecedented mail and advance voting made casting ballots on election day a breeze Saturday.
No lines. Easy in and out. Done.
“About the time it takes to get a cup of coffee,” said one voter who arrived with his dog at Gordon Head Middle School in the Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding over lunchtime Saturday.
Voting places at schools and community halls had plenty of parking.
Many walked to cast their votes on a crisp, sunny autumn day.
With more than a million votes already registered before Saturday — about half of the total in the previous election — many voters didn’t expect delays at voting stations.
“This was the most convenient for me,” Cerena Wray said before voting at Gordon Head Middle School. “I missed the mail-in deadline. The advance voting was too far.”
She’s never missed a provincial election, but wasn’t happy about having to vote a year early and during a pandemic after Premier John Horgan called the snap election last month.
“It’s terrible timing,” said Wray, noting she was voting Green. “It’s hard enough to maintain distancing even without having to vote.”
At Cordova Bay Elementary School in the Saanich South riding, Jamie and Judy Mackenzie arrived to a quick and efficient voting process. They were in and out in a few minutes.
They praised Elections B.C. for operating a safe voting station, with plastic barriers, oral voter declarations, minimal contact with ballots, the use of their own pens and plenty of personal protective gear.
“Elections B.C. deserves a lot of credit for protecting their staff — and protecting us,” said Jamie Mackenzie. “We were really impressed. A lady even had an exit sign on her face shield so we knew where to get out.”
The Mackenzies spurned advance and mail voting, saying “the odds were good” there wouldn’t be lineups on election day.
“We like to vote on election day,” said Judy Mackenzie.
At Sir James Douglas Elementary school on Moss Street, voters arrived every few minutes early this afternoon, but there was no lineup.
It was even quieter at the Cook Street Village Activity Centre, where many voters had cast ballots in advance.
dkloster@timescolonist.com

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