Elections NB prepared for double duties after 'uptick in rumours'

N.B. elections office prepares for double duty With municipal by-election advance polls starting in N.B., election offices are preparing for a possible provincial election too.

Elections NB are wondering whether they’re going to have to turn their ballot boxes around quickly.

Municipal by-election advanced polling starts today, but a provincial election is still a possibility.

"There's a lot of juggling the balls at the moment up in the air,” said David Owens, Deputy Cheif Electoral Officer Elections NB.

“Our field teams they're running elections locally, they are very experienced folks on the ground,” Owens said.

“And, back here at the Fredericton office we continue to make preparations for an eventual and potential provincial general election” he said.

The ongoing-uncertainty surrounding a potential provincial vote sounds like strategy to political scientists.

"I think that he's trying to play politics,” said Lori Turnbull.

“In that he's trying to say to the caucus get behind me or else I'll go to election,” Turnbull said.

Elections NB is banking on its advance preparations to see them through if a snap-election is called.

"There's a lot of work most people don't see the background activities that occur, everything from packing kits, to training workers,” Owens said.

“With the recent uptick in rumours we began doing a lot of that preparatory type of work earlier than normal,” he said.

“We've working quite intensively at it for the last few weeks.”

After today's advance polls, Municipal by-elections for 19 vacancies in 12 local governments take place Oct. 23.

"They are in a state of readiness,” Turnbull said.

“If it does happen, that planning on their part will go a long way to making sure they're able to get the process going for the administration of a provincial election,” she said.

“Even as they're doing the roll out for the municipal, as well.”

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