Local Government Election Date Voting Options

WHEREAS local government elections are held on the third Saturday of November every three years and a number of issues have arisen with respect to this date in recent years, such as bad weather, insufficient advance voting dates for people leaving communities and wanting to vote, safety of individuals voting and candidates in unsafe areas, and low voter turnout; AND WHEREAS a number of citizens who leave their communities in early Fall for warmer places have complained that they are unable to exercise their voting rights due to the late Fall local government election: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities lobby the provincial government to amend the local government legislation to move the date of the local government elections from the third Saturday in November to the third Saturday in October, or provide options to accommodate absentee voters through earlier advance polls or absentee mail-in voting.