Orillia snowbirds Sue Blevins and Barry Middleton fear their to-be-mailed-in ballots won't be received before the provincial election Feb. 27.
And they are not alone.
Traditionally, there are between 50,000 and 70,000 Ontarians who spend the winter outside of the province, according to Canadian Medical Association Journal stats from 2010 to 2019.
Plus, there are thousands more expatriates who are working, going to school or have other reasons to be outside of the province.
"There has been no proper notice for anybody," said Blevins.
"I like to vote on policy and I like to vote informed. How do we make informed decisions on the candidates when the list isn't even available until who knows when?
"It's a very unfair election to both voters and candidates. We have the right to be informed. I feel it's a violation of my constitutional right to vote.
"The whole thing is just wrong."
Blevins and Middleton have been proactive in applying for and receiving their voter's cards, but they can't fill them out when they don't know who's running or what candidates are representing as part of their electoral platforms for their riding.
Today, both the local Liberal and local NDP riding associations announced their candidates for Simcoe North. No official news releases have been issued yet, but on social media, the Liberals announced Walter Alvarez Bardales has been selected; he ran previously in York-Simcoe.
The Simcoe North NDP says Jordi Malcolm, a member of the Ottawa Young New Democrats, will carry the party banner.
Christopher Carr is running for the Ontario Greens in Simcoe North.
None of the three have run for office locally before.
Simcoe North Progressive Conservative MPP Jill Dunlop is seeking re-election and a third term.
"So, you have one person campaigning. It's ludicrous," said Blevins.
Nominees have until Feb. 13 to register, giving them two weeks to run a campaign.
In addition, Blevins said it can take 10 to 12 days for mail to make it back from their winter home in Florida, due the the slowness of Canada Post.
Online voting is not a part of Elections Ontario.
OrilliaMatters reached out to Elections Ontario to find out what concessions are being made for snowbirds and expats. Its reply laid out the existing Elections Ontario rules of in-person voting or vote by mail.
"Our top priority is to make sure that every eligible voter knows when, where, and how to vote — and can do so with ease," said spokesperson Dave Pearce. "For those who will not be in Ontario on election day, we offer a number of options."
Namely, people can vote early at their home riding election office every day through Feb. 26. People can find their home ridings by postal code here. Voters can also vote in advance in their home electoral district between Feb. 20 and 22.
Blevins said that doesn't help them as they are not returning home until April.
Voters can also vote by mail. Applications for voting packages must be received by 6 p.m. on Feb. 21.
Once a voter's application to vote by mail has been received and approved, Elections Ontario will send a voter kit to the address indicated in the application via FedEx if outside of Canada, said Pearce.
Completed voting cards must be received by Elections Ontario by 6 p.m. on Feb. 27 to be counted.
"Voters are responsible for ensuring that their completed ballot is received by Elections Ontario via their choice of courier," said Pearce.
Blevins doesn't like the idea of essentially having to pay to vote.
"Our only option is to send it in by courier, and I think it's a bit unfair that we have to go out of pocket like that, especially when our dollar is down to 68 cents," she said.
Blevins said it's also unfair to Ontario taxpayers to have to cover the cost of Elections Ontario using FedEx to send thousands of snowbirds and expats their voting kits.
"It makes no sense and it's such a waste of money," she said.
Blevins said she is not anti-Progressive Conservative but said Premier Doug Ford's call for a snap election is "un-Canadian."
"I feel from my heart that Ford's actions are arbitrary and self-serving. I think he should be challenged by the Supreme Court," she said.
Voters can apply for a voting kit by visiting votebymail.
When voting by mail, voters will enter the first and last names of their candidate on the ballot. They can search for currently registered candidates here. They can also visit the site for their individual local election office.
Anyone with questions or concerns can email [email protected] or visit elections.on.ca.