What it's been like holding elections in Yukon during the COVID-19 pandemic

While many people have been focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed things in the U.S. presidential election this week and B.C.'s provincial election last month, many Yukoners have already adapted to similar changes after voting in several pandemic-era elections.

There was a lot of learning to do, both by voters and the people in charge of elections. While the process has been challenging, people responsible for some of the elections this year say there have been relative successes.

Here are some of their stories.

Selkirk First Nation's general election

The World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on March 11.

Selkirk First Nation's general election was scheduled to be held on April 1.

"When we do training for elections, we don't get to get trained for worldwide pandemics, which is, like, something that blew everything out of the water," said Tanya Silverfox, chief returning officer for the election.

"It was very stressful."

The election was delayed to May 6 and it became strictly a vote-by-mail arrangement.

Silverfox said 545 ballots were sent out.

"It's really hard to explain to some elders and some people that this is the way we have to do it. Like, there's no other option right now if we want to continue with the election," she recounted.

Silverfox said counting the returned ballots was a little more challenging because she had to make room for staff members and scrutineers to witness the process.

Instead of everyone being in the same place at the same time, as usual, they counted the ballots for the different positions separately, with only the necessary people in the room each time.

Silverfox would read out the result, then pass the ballot to a gloves-wearing poll clerk to show it to others.

Postage for ballots, masks, sanitizing equipment, among other additions, have elections more expensive to hold, she said.

Silverfox served as the chief electoral officer for Carcross/Tagish First Nation's general election in June.

That election was "way different" in multiple respects but also relatively easier, she said. Citizens could vote in person, and the process included masks, gloves and one-time use pens and pencils.

"I completed two elections during something that you would have never thought would happen, and I'm very proud of myself for being able to accomplish that," Silverfox said.

School council general election

Delayed from its original May 5 date due to the pandemic, Yukon's school council general election was held on Oct. 5.

"I would say that, overall, it was quite successful," said Maxwell Harvey, Yukon's chief electoral officer.

He said that there were more nominations, more candidates elected, and more schools ended up having enough members on council than in the past three elections.

Mail-in ballots, which can be applied for online, were rarely used before and only in specific circumstances, Harvey said. This time, however, they made up 41 of the 323 ballots in the election.

Harvey said he changed provisions under the Education Act, something he's allowed to do under certain circumstances, to allow their use by any eligible elector who asked.

Despite what the name suggests, mail-in ballots do not actually have to involve mail at all. In fact, Harvey said, he didn't hear of anyone submitting a ballot via a postal service this time.

Voting by mail-in ballot, at least in the context of this election, can entail meeting with a returning officer, getting a ballot, and then returning it after marking it.

"Most were [returned] at the same time they received it or very shortly after," Harvey said.

There was an additional worker at each polling station to make sure people abided by physical-distancing rules, and to provide masks and sanitizer. They would also, between visits by voters, wipe down the areas people touched, including the pencils.

Elections Yukon officials consulted with school principals to go over how polling stations, located in several communities, could be operated safely. That included considering the most appropriate rooms (gyms, libraries, etc.) and finding the shortest routes into and out of the school.

Harvey said communication with the communities' hosting polling stations was especially important.

He said some people said they weren't fully aware of the mail-in ballot option or didn't understand it, so improving awareness of the option is something Elections Yukon will work on.

Harvey said he's considering making a recommendation in a report to the Yukon Legislative Assembly this month to allow their expanded use to continue, not just during emergencies and other situations.

Watson Lake byelection

Last month, a byelection was held in Watson Lake to find a new mayor.

Cam Lockwood, the chief administratve officer of the town's government, said there were hand-sanitizer stations and markings on the floor to encourage physical distancing at the community's recreation centre, where people voted.

"It wasn't very often that we actually had a lineup of maybe more than two or three people, so that part flowed very well," he said.

There was a screen to separate voters and poll clerks.

Voters were each given a pen and a ballot, then they were directed to the part of the polling station where they could mark their ballots.

After returning the ballots, the pens were dropped into a bin to be sanitized and reused.

Voters exited through a different path to avoid having to go near others.

"Just like going to Ikea, I guess: in one door and out the other," Lockwood said.

"People were very compliant, and everything just flowed perfect for our election staff that was on site."

The town's government operated an appointment-based mobile poll ahead of the byelection for people who couldn't go to the recreation centre on the day of the vote.

The returning officer would go to people's homes to allow them to vote. The protocol for that included masks and gloves.

For people self-isolating, the returning officer would leave the ballot on the ground, then back away. The voter would go to that spot, mark their ballot, leave it there, then back away for the returning officer to collect it, Lockwood said.

"Things you'd never think of, right?" he added.