Candidates running in Labrador are calling for Elections NL to honour postmarked special ballots over concerns that the new deadline may penalize voters in the region.

Last week, Elections NL announced that all ballots must now be received at its headquarters in St. John’s by 4 p.m. NT on Thursday, March 25.

NDP candidates Jordan Brown, Patricia Johnson-Castle, and Amy Norman penned a letter to Chief Electoral Officer Bruce Chaulk highlighting the challenges that may impede the process of receiving and submitting ballots in their districts.

They contest that no one who registered for a mail-in ballot should be denied the right to vote—particularly by delays due to weather. Without using a postmarked deadline, they argue that Labradorians will be “disproportionately excluded from this election.”

The incumbent PC candidate in Torngat Mountains is expressing similar concerns.

Lela Evans and Shannon Tobin—the PC candidate in Lake Melville—wrote Elections NL after the original postmark deadline of March 12 was changed. They’re concerned that many valid ballots may be placed in jeopardy.

Evans says postmarking is a fairer process for voters in Labrador, “returning control to residents” to ensure their votes are counted.

She’s asking that Elections NL to honour Labrador ballots postmarked by March 25.