ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — With the results of the Liberal leadership race just days away, candidate John Abbott is expressing concern over an apparent backlog in voters waiting to cast their ballot.
The Abbott campaign issued a news release on Friday about voters not receiving their personal identification number (PIN). The number is needed in order to vote in the leadership race, with votes being accepted until Monday, when the results of the race will be announced.
“There’s a bit of a boondoggle here now. We’ve been working with the party for the last day or two, but it’s still not resolved to our satisfaction,” said Abbott.
“We’ve raised the concerns about people who have registered to vote and have yet to receive their PINs to vote. We’re getting down to the wire and there’s a lot of anxious voters. They’re calling our office, emailing, Facebook, indicating trouble with getting their PINs. They’re calling the 1-888 line and not getting satisfaction. We think it could be in the thousands, potentially.”
The Furey campaign says they’ve heard similar concerns, but say the issues are manageable.
“We are hearing from some supporters that they have successfully called the voter helpline to obtain their PIN and were then able to vote,” reads a statement from the campaign.
“In some cases, supporters have chosen to leave a message with the help centre, and in other cases supporters have chosen to call back at a later time. We continue to offer whatever support we can to registered voters, and understand they are successfully voting throughout the process.”
The Liberal election committee issued a statement to say it has made adjustments to the voting process to allow as many people as possible to vote before the Monday deadline.
“We are aware that some emails bounced when PINs were sent out, which is likely due to either a typo from when voters entered their email address when they registered or a data entry issue on the part of either campaign. We have provided the campaigns a list of those individuals for follow-up via other means,” reads the statement.
“We have a dedicated helpline in place for those who did not receive their PINs — that line was initially very busy as people enthusiastically lined up to make their vote. We have increased the staff complement as well as enhanced voicemail capabilities such that we can assist anyone who needs help in obtaining their PIN.”
Candidate confidence
Both Andrew Furey and John Abbott say they feel confident heading into Monday.
“I’m very happy with my campaign team, with my volunteers, with the support that we’ve received around the province,” said Furey.
“I’m confident, but I’m very humbled by the support we’ve received everywhere. I’m hopeful that we can get it done and get it over the finish line.”
Furey says the campaign has shown him the concerns on the minds of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
“What’s been inspiring is the fact that people understand — whether it’s in Labrador or the Burin Peninsula or Port aux Basques or Torbay — that we’re in a tough financial and economic spot. When you talk about it, they always end up with hope in the future, hope for a bright, prosperous future for Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Furey.
“We’re not in a great spot and that’s shared by almost all. Equally shared is the hope and optimism for the future.”
Abbott says his tour across the province to all 40 electoral districts was encouraging for his campaign.
“We’ve received a lot of endorsement and encouragement of our campaign messages,” said Abbott.
“What we’re feeling internally is that we’re getting a lot of support. We’re tracking our numbers and feeling very confident of the result on Monday night.”
Abbott says the COVID-19 pandemic has been top of mind for those he’s met with during his travels.
“Certainly, the concern around COVID and its potential if there’s a rebound in the fall. Communities certainly want to feel that they’re secure. I think the further you are from St. John’s, the more that issue came forward,” said Abbott.
“I want to reassure that that’s going to be top of mind for any government, going forward. What we did see and hear was lots of concern for the lack of government response to their issues, whether on the individual, community or regional level. That cut across all sectors.”
The results of the Liberal leadership race will be announced Monday at 6 p.m. at the St. John’s Convention Centre.
@DavidMaherNL
