1/8 Some thoughts on the mess in the #NLVotes

First - not an insignificant number of people - including seniors, those with literacy challenges and those who live in rural areas will be disenfranchised by this decision. I expect precedent setting litigation #covid19nfld
2/8 Weak seams in democracy appear where least expected

Like when you vote in 🇨🇦 you first speak to a little old lady or bored undergrad who hands you a ballot & crosses off your name in a little book

If poll workers are too scared to work entire electoral process stops working
3/8 With hindsight there is hubris in @FureyAndrew’s decision to call this vote. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians don’t have a magic power that repels the virus

A lesson for 🇨🇦, too If Trudeau’s vaccine crisis hadn’t already cooled his ardour for a spring election, this may have
4/8 Nobody I know in the province expects this swings the inevitable result (it may cost the Liberals some seats in metro St. John’s). However Furey is likely now a compromised leader - which only compounds the political pain of dealing with the fiscal reckoning that NL faces
5/8 I seriously doubt Elections NL have the systems in place to securely process volume of special ballots they are about to receive. I hope I’m wrong. This is the kind of system that elections officials would normally take months to stand up. In Newfoundland they have a weekend
6/8 Sadly, this admittedly unnecessary mess will provide an excuse for the usual bigots to once again snicker at Newfoundland’s expense

Yes it could have avoided with better decisions - but Newfoundland’s electoral system is far from first institution exposed by this virus
7/8 Finally my prayers are with friends, family & everyone back home. Doesn’t seem like virus is into any long term care homes yet, but we still have days of case growth ahead

Here in Toronto people became numb to restrictions & it made things worse. Don’t make that mistake guys
8/8 So as #NLVotes lurches on, I only hope that everyone takes @CMOH_NL guidance seriously, stays close to home & gets through this safely

If the worst that happens from this is a little bit of political chaos & embarrassment - Newfoundlanders will be lucky indeed.
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