Holding elections in the majority of Nunavut’s communities requires a great deal of preparation.
Monday is voting day for the territory’s 2023 municipal elections.
Advance polling in 22 constituencies to elect new representatives for municipal councils and district education authorities (DEAs) has already taken place, with chief electoral officer Dustin Fredlund reporting that he has “boots on the ground” everywhere on his pin-studded map of the territory.
“Boots on the ground” in this case means that the office of Elections Nunavut has secured venues and poll workers, as well as providing a centralized location for training and information sharing. Elections Nunavut has prepared and sent voting materials, which will then be returned by appointed returning officers for counting. These returning officers are trained in person over a day and a half.
Smaller communities will employ three to four elections officers, while larger centres will use four to five. The City of Iqaluit will have 12 to 15 staff at its polling stations.
The ballots will be printed in all of Nunavut’s official languages, and an Inuktitut-speaking officer will be on hand at every polling location, according to Fredlund.
Of the pool of electoral candidates, he reports, none “were disqualified, but there were a few who did not get their declarations filed before the deadline and could not be accepted. Further details on all aspects of the election will be recorded and tabled in the election report.”
He added that his office works closely with municipal corporations and DEAs to meet the municipal election mandate.
“Most of the communities are holding a joint election, which means that the (senior or chief administrative officer) can be a single source of contact within a community for all the elections. This makes communication and logistical preparations effective,” said Fredlund.
To find a list of declared candidates, register online, and for more information, visit the website at www.elections.nu.ca, or follow Elections Nunavut’s social media announcements on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.