Voters urged to deliver electoral reform ballots in person as deadline nears

Elections BCis urging anyone in the province who has yet to cast their ballot in the proportional representation referendum to do so soon and in person.

The deadline for Elections BCto receive the ballots is Friday,Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m. PT which means it's now too late to pop them in the mail, according to spokesperson Rebecca Penz.

The deadline to vote was originally set for Nov. 30, but it was extended by a week because of rotating strikes at Canada Post. The federal government has since passed legislation to force an end to the strikes.

"We understand that the mail is now moving smoothly through Canada Post, but we're still encouraging people to return [ballots] in person," Penzsaid.

Voters can drop off their ballots at a Service BC or Referendum Service Office.Locations can be found on the Elections BC website.

Penzsaid 39 per cent of the ballots have been returned so far. Elections BCis hoping to have results available before Christmas.

"It does depend on voter turnout and how long it takes for us to screen each of the packages," she said.

British Columbians are voting on whether to keep the province's first-past-the-post electoral system or switch to one of three different types of proportional representation:

• Dual member proportional
• Mixed member proportional
• Rural-urban proportional