“There are likely thousands of ballots that are in that situation,” says Municipalities NL CEO Rob NolanPublished Sep 26, 2025Last updated 48 minutes ago7 minute readCanadian Union of Postal Workers attend to their picket line at the Kenmount Road station on Friday Sep. 26, 2025. Photo by Keith Gosse/The TelegramArticle contentNeedless to say, Friday, Sept. 26, was a busy day in the Municipalities NL office.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentJust days before 274 municipal elections were set to take place in cities and towns across Newfoundland and Labrador, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ 55,000 nationwide members walked off the job on Thursday in response to the federal government’s proposed changes to Canada Post.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThat left municipalities in the province scrambling to find solutions for the hundreds of potential vote-by-mail ballots that are now stuck in the postal system. Article contentFor Municipalities NL CEO Rob Nolan, that meant his Friday was spent helping the province’s municipalities find rapid solutions to ensure residents’ rights to vote are upheld and that all votes can be counted on Election Day on Oct. 2.Article content“It does create an unexpected challenge for those municipalities that are doing vote-by-mail,” Nolan told The Telegram.Article content“I’ve been in contact with most of the municipalities running vote-by-mail, and they are very quickly either expanding solutions like satellite drop-offs or developing proper solutions to ensure that people can vote.”Article contentThousands of ballots could be impactedArticle content Municipalities NL’s CEO Rob Nolan says municipalities have been working hard to find quick solutions for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of votes that may presently be stuck in the postal system. Photo by David Maher /David MaherArticle contentOn Friday afternoon, the provincial government’s Department of Municipal Affairs and Community Engagement confirmed that eight municipalities across Newfoundland and Labrador are actively employing a vote-by-mail system for their 2025 elections, including St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Corner Brook, Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Gander, Paradise, Pasadena and Conception Bay South. Article contentArticle contentWith most municipalities requiring their mail-in ballots to have been postmarked this week in order to arrive in time for Election Day on Oct. 2, Nolan says the timing of the Canada Post strike makes the situation less than ideal, but says municipalities have been diligent in finding quick solutions.Article contentArticle content“The timing is an unfortunate overlap of events because you would have ballots that were put in the mail and are now ‘in limbo,’ we would say,” he said.Article content“With the declaration cards and the way municipalities do vote-by-mail, they will be able to assess whose ballots they have received versus whose they have not. That would be a part of the solution they are figuring out.”Article contentWhile Nolan estimates that some of the province’s smaller population centres employing vote-by-mail processes likely have hundreds of votes tied up as a result of the postal disruption, he believes the total number of votes currently ‘in limbo’ could be in the thousands. Article content“There are likely thousands of ballots that are in that situation,” he said.Article content“I would say towns and returning officers will be working through the weekend to make sure that everything that’s necessary is in place and we’re confident that towns will be able to implement solutions to make sure that goes smoothly.”Article content‘It’s a different beast for St. John’s’Article content St. John’s mayoral candidates Ivy Hanley and Danny Breen both agree the timing of the Canada Post strike is concerning. CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentNolan says the municipality with the biggest challenge ahead is likely St. John’s, as the capital city will have far more voters voting by mail, leaving more ballots tied up in the postal system.Article contentA larger population base creates new logistical challenges for election administrators in St. John’s, who now have plenty of work ahead double-checking to make sure nobody has voted twice and that election integrity can still be maintained.Article content“It’s a different beast for St. John’s,” Nolan said.Article contentArticle content“St. John’s does still offer an in-person voting option as well. They (can) process their declaration cards as they are coming in, so they are aware of who has voted and whose ballots they have received. That would be a part of the process. Article content“Of course, it’s peoples’ legal obligation to vote once. That’s both an assessment by the city to ensure that they haven’t received a ballot from those people, but it’s also our legal responsibility to abide by that.”Article contentBoth of the city’s mayoral candidates agree that the postal strike will certainly have an impact on next week’s elections, and both are hopeful for a swift resolution.Article contentArticle content“I have a little bit of concern,” says challenger Ivy Hanley.Article content“I have trust that they are putting a contingency plan in place, but I woke up this morning to multiple emails and over a dozen calls from people who dropped their ballots into mailboxes on Wednesday. Article contentWednesday, Sept. 24, was the deadline for people to vote by mail in St. John’s to ensure their ballot was counted.Article content“They are fearful that they are going to be unable to be counted,” Hanley added. Article content“They don’t know if they will be allowed to go in person. A couple of them had mobility issues, and they are unable to make it to the polling stations. Their ballots could be sitting in that mailbox until Election Day, so it is a bit concerning. I really do have hope that the contingency plan ensures that all votes get counted.”Article contentIncumbent Mayor Danny Breen has similar concerns.Article content“I was both surprised and disappointed,” said Breen.Article content“I didn’t anticipate that at this stage, but the issue around it for the election is when you’re campaigning, you’re working around the final election date. Knowing that the 24th was the last day to postmark ballots and that there would be ballots that are obviously still at the post office or are in transit is a bit concerning.”Article content‘That’s something that’s going to have to be considered’Article content Danny Breen believes the soon-to-be-elected council in St. John’s should take a long look at the mail-in voting process when they complete their review of the 2025 general election. Photo by Keith Gosse/The TelegramArticle contentMail-in ballots aren’t the only municipal election challenges that the postal strike has brought to light.Article contentFor Hanley, not only has the Canada Post strike pushed election accessibility to the forefront, but additional election hiccups with the voters’ list through Elections NL has her feeling like a long look at municipal election processes may be overdue. Article content“We found 46 duplicate names with the same addresses in St. John’s on the voters list,” she explained.Article contentArticle content“What is the communication happening between the voters’ list and Elections NL? I’m not sure where the disconnect is, but I do have hope that it’s going to be solved by Elections NL and the St. John’s electoral board. They will be able to come up with a solution to this.”Article contentPreviously, the city also announced that several mail-in ballots had been returned to city hall by Canada Post.Article contentBreen says that mail-in voting has been, and can continue to be, a successful option so long as the voter data and delivery system are reliable. Article contentWith neither proving to be dependable in light of the present challenges, Breen agrees it may be time to review the effectiveness of mail-in balloting moving forward.Article content“Every time there’s an election, there’s a review done, and I think the next one really needs to look at the mail-in ballot and how it’s operated,” Breen said.Article contentArticle content“I think that’s something that’s going to have to be considered as we move forward. For now, I just hope Canada Post management and the union can see the importance of people’s votes and will find a way to ensure that they can be included in a timely fashion.”Article content‘People treasure their ability to vote’Article content While the Canada Post strike may be discouraging for voters, Nolan, Breen and Hanley agree it’s worth the trouble to ensure your vote is cast and your voice is heard. Photo by Keith Gosse/The TelegramArticle contentNolan recognizes there may be some confusion and misunderstanding among voters who now have to scramble to ensure their vote gets counted.Article contentWhile he recognizes it may be easy for frustrated voters to want to take a pass on the 2025 municipal election as a result of recent complications, Nolan believes it’s worth the hassle and stressed the importance of voting in local elections. Article content“If there are voters who are concerned that they mailed their ballots in a timeframe where it might be in limbo, certainly reach out to their returning officer with their town,” Nolan said.Article content“They can just call their town hall or city hall to have that conversation and find out what that process is. Those solutions are in place or are rolling out. It’s another showing of how important it is for people to vote in their local elections. I just encourage everyone to get out and vote.”Article contentCan still vote in personsArticle content“If you’re able to vote in person, I implore anyone to do so,” Hanley added.Article content“Our campaign team, as well as other candidates’, are doing free rides to the polling stations, because it’s important for everyone to vote. If we don’t have a say, it won’t reflect the true St. John’s, so everybody should vote.”Article contentBreen is hopeful that some kind of resolution will happen that will ensure the ballots are retrieved.Article content“I think people treasure their ability to vote in elections and exercise their right to do that,” Breen said.Article content“That creates some angst for them, but hopefully, the strike will be over sooner rather than later. If not, hopefully, there will be some accommodation made to be able to at least get the ballots. Hopefully, the union and management can see fit to find a way to get the ballots released to the city so they can be counted.” Article content
NL municipal election mail-in votes ‘in limbo’ amid untimely Canada Post strike
