Early voting soars in N.L. election, and it's not done yet

Almost 22,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have requested special ballots in the upcoming provincial election, another sign of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elections NL said Thursday that it had processed 21,904 special ballot applications by Thursday afternoon, and is expecting to see that number rise even further — to maybe 25,000 — by the end of the week.

That special ballot interest has already eclipsed the demand in the 2019 provincial election, which was 9,313, and it represents about 10 per cent of the total vote from that last election.

Special ballots can be requested and filled out in person, but the majority are mail-in ballots, according to a spokesperson for Elections NL.

The uptick is a sign that many people are choosing to avoid polling stations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's also a challenge to political candidates, who have less time to make their pitch to an electorate that is voting earlier.

• Complete coverage: Read all of Newfoundland and Labrador Votes stories

Welcome to the Election Notebook, your regular source for campaign news as the Feb. 13 election day draws near.

Here's what's happening Thursday:

Early voting not yet through

While it's now too late to ask for a mail-in ballot, there are still opportunities to vote early — and skip the polling stations.

You can head to the Elections NL office in St. John's, or any of the district offices across the province, and apply for a special ballot in person. That can be done on Friday or Saturday until 6 p.m., and the deadline to have those ballots returned to the office is Sunday at 4 p.m.

• Who is running in your district? Get the complete list of candidates

The province's advance polls are also taking place Saturday, but that's not at the Elections NL district offices, that's at the regular polling places. You can find the addresses for the district offices here and the polling places here, using a tool that Elections NL has created.

Staffing shortages

NDP Leader Alison Coffin held a news conference in St. John's on Thursday where she reiterated her party's platform commitments on health-care issues — and also shined more light on a CBC News report about ambulance staffing troubles.

She said health-care workers in paramedicine, long-term care and nursing are all regularly reporting that they feel overworked.

"More and more nurses, paramedics, personal-care attendants, licensed practical nurses are getting burnt out and going on stress leave, which makes the staff shortages even worse," she said.

"These terrible conditions are bad for our health-care workers are bad for patient care.… Attracting health-care workers has been difficult for the province. It's not difficult to see why when we consider the reality they are facing."

She said the solution to the troubles is hiring more staff — full-time staff, not casual workers. She said that would save money on overtime, and save the costs associated with staff going on stress leave.

Liberals won't promise zero job cuts

Liberal Leader Andrew Furey answered questions from reporters in St. John's after the party unveiled its campaign platform red book.

He told reporters it isn't realistic for the province to deliver a balanced budget for the next fiscal year (this fiscal year has a projected deficit of $1.8-billion) so that's not in his plan.

And while he's promised there won't be a "frightful" budget in the spring, he wouldn't commit Thursday to not cutting any jobs.

"You're going to hold me then if one person loses their job, then you are going to play this clip," he said.

He added job cuts aren't the "overall theme."

"The theme is to work with unions collectively towards solutions for everybody and not take jobs out of the economy."

What would an Ottawa bailout really look like?

Richard Saillant, a public policy analyst with years of Ottawa experience took a call from The St. John's Morning Show on Thursday, and let listeners into some insider knowledge about what a federal bailout of Newfoundland and Labrador could actually look like.

He said it won't look like the commission of government. He said political players in the capital aren't going to want to be seen dictating terms and conditions, but they will make the provincial government take steps before it comes in with financial support.

"During those negotiations, Ottawa would probably at some point endorse Newfoundland and Labrador's credit," he said, "to allow Newfoundland and Labrador to borrow more because they are backed up by a much stronger government that is Ottawa.

"Ottawa will not tell you what it should cost you. What's going to happen is that Ottawa is going to say, 'Well, we're ready to act as a supportive partner and support you in the process, but you're going to have to make the tough decisions yourself.'"

You can listen to that interview in the player below:

Comparing campaign spots (and songs)

With the release of Ches Crosbie's new tongue-in-cheek campaign ad, the Election Notebook is taking a look at some of the best video work by all three major campaigns this election cycle.

The NDP released an ad on Twitter Jan. 20 contrasting their leader, Alison Coffin, against shadowy — literally! — figures in Confederation Building. It's St. John's-focused, which makes sense for a party that does best in St. John's.

The Liberals put most of their ads onto Andrew Furey's Facebook page — it's more popular than the party page — including one with some building, inspirational music and a narrator that exudes praise for Furey's personal characteristics.

And a note on that Crosbie campaign ad: did you notice, on your first watch, that everyone in Crosbie's house was wearing blue? It's the details.

Two of the campaigns have also been doing some audio work, releasing campaign songs along with (or inside of) their campaign videos.

The PCs have even released a partial lyric video. It's kind of slick:

Meanwhile, this year, the Liberals are using a song sung by Alan Doyle.

But don't forget the Liberal campaign jam of 2019 — that fun techno remix of the Dwight Ball speech. How do you think this year's offerings stack up?

What's coming up

• Both NDP Leader Alison Coffin and PC Leader Ches Crosbie will participate in a "virtual leadership forum" organized by the St. John's Board of Trade on Friday. The Liberals will be represented by Andrew Parsons.
• Coffin will hold a news conference in St. John's on Friday morning.
• Liberal Leader Andrew Furey will visit Windsor Lake — Crosbie's district — before heading to Placentia West-Bellevue.

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