Annual REPORT - Elections Manitoba

More information about this and other post-election surveys follows on p. 28 (Turnout) and p. 33
(Post-election evaluation).
Special voting
The term, special voting, encompasses several different voting opportunities for people who are
unable to attend to a voting station. These include institutional voting stations in health care and
correctional facilities on election day, homebound, personal security, absentee voting and as
discussed previously, advance.
Institutional voting stations are set up to allow eligible patients at health care facilities and inmates
of correctional facilities to vote on election day. Regular voting takes place in most health
care facilities so residents have the opportunity to cast their ballot. There were 3,241 regular
ballots cast at these institutions. In all correctional facilities and large hospitals, write-in ballots
are used. A total of 1,846 write-in ballots were cast and these were counted after election day.
Homebound voting provides an option for voters with a disability and their caregivers to cast
their ballots at home. Homebound voters apply to their returning officer, and an election officer
visits the home to administer the vote. In the 2011 election, 1,284 ballots were cast through
homebound voting.
For reasons of personal security, a voter may have his or her personal information omitted or
obscured from the provincial voters list. Sixteen people took advantage of personal security voting
during the election.
Absentee voting is offered to all qualified voters who expect to be away from home during advance
voting or on election day and who intend to be away for no more than six months. These
voters can register for mail-in ballots that are sent to their temporary addresses during an election.
Their ballots are counted after voting stations close on election day.
As of 2006, in addition to members of the Canadian Forces, the maximum six-month absence
restriction was waived for students attending school outside Manitoba, individuals working with
the Manitoba or Canadian government or anyone living with people who meet these conditions.
The total number of absentee ballots cast for 2011 was 1,008.
Evacuee voting- As noted earlier, special measures were undertaken to facilitate voting for residents
of the Interlake electoral division who were evacuated from their homes due to the flood
of May 2011. Elections Manitoba worked closely with the Emergency Measures Organization and
the Manitoba Association of Native Fire Fighters to provide specialized services to affected voters,
from enumeration through election day. The following table summarizes this activity:
26