Kamloops residents can now register if they want to vote by mail during October’s municipal election.

Chief Election Officer, Amanda Passmore, says people have until 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 to apply for a ballot, either online, by email, or in person at City Hall.

You’ll be able to get your ballots by mail or in person if you apply before Oct. 2. Following that deadline, you’ll have to pick up your ballot at City Hall, with all mail ballots due by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Oct. 15.

“It is not sufficient to have a post-marked envelope dated before this deadline [and] ballots received after the deadline will not be counted,” Passmore said.

Mail-in ballots are not new, but in the past, it was only available to people who were sick, injured, or away from the community around the election.

“This just opens it up for any eligible voter to request a mail ballot rather than coming to an in-person polling station either on general voting day or at one of our advanced polls,” Passmore told NL News in March.

“Now that the Local Government Act has removed those stipulations saying [who can request a ballot], we also have to change that to make sure that we are not unnecessarily restricting the public to their rights to access voting.”

Passmore is encouraging Kamloopsians to start the application process soon if they plan to vote by mail in October.

For the latest on the 2022 Municipal Election, go here.