Campobello Island ballots get chartered boat treatment to avoid border security

The ballots of Campobello Island voters were given extra special care following Monday's mayoral election.

It took mere minutes after polls closed Monday night for Elections New Brunswick to announce Brett Newman was elected mayor, but the tabulation machines carrying the ballots reached the mainland the following morning — by chartered boat.

It's a measure the provincial agency has taken to ensure important election materials, heading to and from the Fundy isle, arrived in a timely fashion, protected from possible interference by border agents.

At this time of year, Campobello Island is only accessible by vehicle through the United States. That poses challenges for election officials, said Mary Casement, the municipal byelection returning officer for the island.

Confidentiality is key, she said, because both U.S. and Canadian border agents have the right to inspect Elections NB's electronic devices and other material.

The devices contain private voter information. Netbooks contain the names, addresses, phone numbers and birth dates about electors in the area. The tabulation machines contain the ballots.

"As an individual, I certainly want my confidentiality being protected by a government agency and I'm assuming other people do as well," Casement said.

But they're also set up to work in a specific manner to maintain the integrity of the election.

"We don't want them interfered with such that then we can't operate with them for the election," she said.

Another important factor is time. Casement said election officials need to abide by a rigid schedule and can't afford to have their shipment of materials delayed at the border.

Introduced last year

The idea for a chartered boat to ferry materials to and from Saint Andrews was implemented during the 2018 provincial election last September after years of transporting materials by vehicle.

Accessibility issues didn't stop Election NB from getting the results out with haste, however. Casement said the tabulation machines electronically transmit the counted ballots to the head office in Fredericton shortly after the polls close.

Newman defeated Brent MacPherson 254 votes to 67 in one of several byelections held across the province Monday night but the only one separated from the mainland.