Officials Prepare For Possibility Of Two Elections

New Brunswick’s chief electoral officer said they will be ready for the next provincial election, no matter when it happens.

There is growing speculation the provincial government could fall after the next budget comes out in March.

Kim Poffenroth said Elections New Brunswick started preparing right after the last election given the minority government situation.

“We ordered ballot paper, we re-packed things as much as was available and then started ordering materials, we also encouraged government to have the provincial returning officers appointed as soon as possible,” said Poffenroth.

But unlike preparations for an election on a fixed date, Poffenroth said there are certain things which cannot be done until the writ is dropped, such as renting returning office space.

“When you’re working with a fixed election date, you can actually sign those leases ahead of time, make sure material is shipped to the offices so that as soon as the writ is issued, they can open their offices,” said Poffenroth.

“We’ve instructed the returning officers to locate possible locations for their returning offices, but with no date, it’s impossible to sign leases or even ship out some materials.”

Officials are also preparing for the municipal elections on March 11. They take place on a fixed date every four years.

That raises concerns about what would happen if both elections were to take place around the same time.

Poffenroth said one of the large challenges of running two election campaigns would be staffing the polling stations.

“We have a lot of returning office staff that have been appointed to work both for the municipal and the provincial elections. Those folks may find it very challenging if those two elections occur in very close proximity in time,” she said.

Another challenge would be making sure residents knew which election they would be voting in, she said.

Poffenroth said if two elections were to happen simultaneously, Elections NB would find the resources to make it happen.

“The municipal and other local elections are fixed for May 11 and there’s no authority in the legislation to be moved by anyone, be it government or Elections New Brunswick,” she said.