Towns and cities are making haste in finding solutions now that CUPW members are on strike.

Municipal elections take place on Thursday, October 2nd.

Eight towns and cities have adopted vote-by-mail system, St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Corner Brook, Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Gander, Paradise, Pasadena and Conception Bay South.

The strike means a large number of ballots may currently be stuck in the postal system.

The CEO of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, Rob Nolan, says many towns and cities are moving quickly to come up with a plan for mail-in ballots.

For some, satellite stations are being set up for ballot drop offs, while solutions are being worked on in other cases.

The capital city is working on a contingency plan

The capital city says it is developing a contingency plan for the municipal election, which in St. John’s is a mail-in ballot.

The deadline for getting ballots in the mail was Wednesday, meaning that it’s likely that ballots are still in the mail.

The city says work is underway to address the situation and ensure protection of residents’ democratic right to vote.

A number of other municipalities, including Mount Pearl, have a vote by mail option.

Meanwhile, Elections NL says they have a contingency plan for this type of situation, and are in the process of mobilizing it now.