New Brunswickers hoping to find out who their new municipal representatives will be on May 10 may have to wait a bit longer.
Elections New Brunswick announced Sunday that elections have been temporarily suspended in the portion of Zone 4 now under lockdown.
But Kim Poffenroth, the province’s municipal electoral officer, said the impact will be felt throughout the province.
“Although all voting and other election processes will continue in the rest of the province, we will not be releasing any results until everyone in the province has had an opportunity to vote,” Poffenroth said in an interview.
Elections NB said this is necessary because of the option for an elector from one part of the province to cast their ballot at another returning office if they are away from the place where they would normally vote.
Municipalities affected by the suspension of elections include Edmundston, Haut-Madawaska, Lac Baker, Rivière-Verte, Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska and Saint Léonard.
The lockdown also impacts the elections for the Francophone Northwest school subdistricts 1,2, 3 and 4 and well as Anglophone West sub-district 1. Elections are also suspended for Regional Health Authority Vitalité subregions A3 and A4.
Poffenroth said once the lockdown is lifted, it will be at least three-and-a-half weeks before electors in that region can vote.
“We can’t send out voter information cards until we know when voting will take place and it takes up to a week-and-a-half to actually produce and send those voter information cards out in the mail,” she said.
“Voter information cards have to go out in the mail two weeks before election day.”
Voters in all other parts of the province will still cast their ballots on May 10.
