Extending vote to N.B. permanent residents won’t happen by fall: province - New Brunswick | Globalnews.ca

On paper, it’s a seemingly simple change. A bill that would extend voting rights in municipal elections to permanent residents in the province consists of one line.“This is a closely watched Canadian first. These other contemplations need to be given time to consider and get it right,” he told the standing committee on law amendments Friday.

Elections NB would also have to update how it trains poll workers and likely software. With parts of the province going to the polls this fall to elect new mayors and councils for more than 70 new and amalgamated municipal entities, there’s not enough time to sort all that out.“Elections NB informs us that it would not be possible, if this were to pass, to change all of that in advance of the election this fall,” Donaghy said.The better option, according to the department, is to wait.

That timeline is the cause of some frustration for Liberal MLA Keith Chiasson, who tabled the bill, calling it “the will of the government.” Chiasson tabled the bill in December of 2020, seeking unanimous consent to expedite the bill in order to have the change in place for the 2021 local government elections. That attempt failed and the bill next saw debate in the spring of 2021 when the government opted to punt it to the law amendments committee for further study.

“We’re all progressive enough in our thinking to support what Mr. Chiasson has brought forward,” he said. “I think there’s probably a way can be figured out, but obviously not for this election. There’s just no way.Read more:The proposal itself is not new. In 2017 the Commission on Electoral Reform recommended that permanent residents be allowed to vote in both municipal and provincial elections. It also suggested that the voting age be lowered to 16.

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