By Andrew Macdonald
The Macdonald Notebook is all but certain an election in Nova Scotia will occur Nov. 26, 2024
The actual scheduled date for a fixed election is July 2026.
Premier Tim Houston is in his third year of his mandate after being elected in August 2021.
His political hero is John Buchanan, who called and won elections in his third year. That was the 1981 and 1984 elections.
Will Houston lose votes with a Nov. 26 vote, especially coming on the heels of the fall municipal elections? It’s anyone’s guess.
My prediction is Houston will win the election and that NDP leader Claudia Chender and her party will form the official opposition.
A message this week from Dorothy Rice, the chief electoral officer for Elections Nova Scotia, noted that the vote organizer will be ready for an early election call.
“In 2022, ENS adopted the tagline ‘Elections that work for you’. The purpose of this update is to provide an update on Elections Nova Scotia’s election readiness planning for the 42nd provincial general election,” she wrote in a report released this week.
“In June, the Premier stated to the media that the fixed date may not be adhered to, and that an election may be called before July 15, 2025. In response, ENS has accelerated its preparations to be ready for an early
election,” said Rice.
“My team and I are preparing for the possibility of the 42nd provincial general election being called earlier than the legislated fixed election date and have adjusted our plans and financial forecast accordingly,” she said. “What is most important to me at this time is to ensure that we can deliver a safe, fair, inclusive and transparent election.
“Elections Nova Scotia is a leader in the options available to electors who may vote anywhere and on many days during the writ period. The e-ballot system that was introduced in the two byelections in 2023 and 2024 has been well received by voters, and the integrity of the system has been proven during these electoral events,” said Rice.
The historic Nova Scotia Legislature. (The Notebook).
