I will not be able to vote in the next provincial election due to an administrative formality. This is the conclusion reached by the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec (DGEQ). This decision affects thousands of Quebecers, including most of my colleagues.
Posted yesterday at 11:00 a.m.
I am a long distance trucker and I work mostly in the United States. After loading my truck at the terminal located in Montérégie, I take the road south where I spend 10 to 15 days delivering Quebec goods. I then return to Quebec for a few hours to pick up new products and return to the United States.
It is very likely that I will be on the road on election day and during the few dates scheduled for voting during supplementary days or advance voting. To ensure that I could fulfill my duty as a citizen, I contacted the DGEQ to have my ballot mailed to my work address in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
It’s not possible, I was told. It is absolutely necessary to provide an address outside Quebec to vote by mail. This service is offered only to Quebecers who are in another province or outside the country.
It is beyond understanding: the DGEQ agrees to send a ballot paper anywhere on the planet, to any isolated hotel in Nepal or to a truck stop from Arizona, but not to an address in Quebec.
To honor his mission of “making the vote accessible to all electors”, the clerk at the DGEQ office invites me to go to the office of the returning officer on September 23, 24, 27, 28 or 29 when I’ll be somewhere in Uncle Sam’s country.
In writing, the DGEQ informs me that unless I have a specific address in the United States where I can send my ballot, I will not be able to vote. However, I don’t know where and when my next deliveries of Quebec products will take me.
Far from unique
My case is not unique and deprives all Quebecers who go on a trip during the few days provided for by electoral law from voting. It thus applies to long-distance truckers, sailors, pilots, soldiers, researchers, professors, medical personnel, business leaders and sales representatives who do not have an address outside Quebec to which to send their newsletter. .
However, in the last federal election, I was able to vote by mail after registering online on the Elections Canada site.
Upon returning to the terminal, I retrieved the envelope from my locker and cast my vote in a matter of moments on a Tuesday evening at 9 p.m., before dropping everything into a mailbox.
My fellow truckers and I are part of a trade that is essential to enable Quebec companies to do business outside the province. We proudly represent our Quebec from California to Florida via all the Canadian provinces and all the states of the United States. It is inconceivable that we are deprived of our right to vote for an administrative formality.