More than 10,000 early ballots cast in Nova Scotia, as discussions turn to online voting
Thousands have already cast their vote in the upcoming Nova Scotia election, as some leaders consider online voting in the future.
According to Elections Nova Scotia, as of Wednesday, a total of 10,040 early votes have been cast.
At the same point in the 2017 provincial general election, a total of 3,378 early votes had been cast.
"We are seeing an increase in early voting from the 2017 election and also an increase in applications for the write-in ballots," said Naomi Shelton, director of policy and communications for Elections Nova Scotia.
"We've been promoting our write-in ballot process for this election for safe voting. We've been encouraging voters to vote early and vote safely and to vote by write-in ballot if they feel comfortable to choose that option."
There have been 7,882 votes cast at the returning office continuous polls.
At the same point in the 2017 provincial general election, 3,183 votes had been cast at the returning office continuous polls.
Meanwhile, Elections Nova Scotia says they have processed 2,158 applications for write-in ballot. At the same point in 2017, 195 votes had been cast by write-in ballot.
Although there are a number of ways you can cast your ballot, online isn’t one of them.
"The legislation in Nova Scotia does not allow for internet voting,” said Shelton.
"I think by the time we're looking at the next general election, online voting is something that we should have in place,” said Liberal leader Iain Rankin.
When asked if Nova Scotia should have online voting, the PC Party Campaign said in a statement:
“Elections Nova Scotia is an independent body. It is important that they be allowed to do their work independently from the wishes of political parties. However, the challenges of electronic voting are also tied to access to reliable internet, which should be a first step before these conversations can begin.”
While the NDP Party said in a statement: “The NDP supports making it easier for people to vote. We understand that other levels of government have used online voting and would look at how those practices could be might be used at the provincial level.”
One person who does not want to see online voting is David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Security.
"If it's not broken, don't try and fix it. We know how to vote with our paper ballots,” said Shipley.
"I am adamantly opposed to online voting for provincial and federal elections because these elections are vitally important and the ability to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the people who won genuinely won is critical. We've never seen democracy, as under threat as we have in the last several years, and one need look no further than our southern neighbours to see the chaos that can come with even just electronic voting on a ballot machine."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.