Questions remain over voting rules and the impact they may have had on the recent federal election. The new regulations that were in effect this election, required voters to provide proof of residency in the riding before they could cast a vote.
The reports that have come in so far after the election suggest that more than a few BC residents were left on the outside of the electoral process, when their ID wasn’t sufficient or they neglected to bring enough of it to meet the requirements.
It’s an in issue that has the local MP Nathan Cullen, as well as a provincial advocacy group both expressing concerns for the disenfranchised voters of October.
The Wednesday Daily News outlined the controversy and the concerns that have been raised over it.
MP Cullen concerned about hurdles for would-be voters
By George T. Baker
The Daily News
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Page five
Two weeks have passed since Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen was re-elected for a third term but he remains concerned about voting across the region – or better put, the voting that did not happen.
“We have a number of reports coming in from right across the entire Northwest and other parts of the country, where we are hearing about hundreds of people being turned away from the voting booths because of our new election law,” said Cullen.
Cullen said the NDP had voted against the changes, which made having a current address on your identification as the only valid form of identification.
The new identification rules for voting in this federal election had caused some concern going into Oct. 14 because the rules did not allow Canadian passports nor First Nations status cards as valid forms of identification. It also excluded the homeless from voting, because voting would require a home address.
According to Elections Canada, there are no statistics available relating to how many people were turned away nation0wide because of insufficient identification. But media relations contact Diane Benson said they are studying the issue and have heard anecdotally that there were some problems.
“We have received reports that this did happen and we have asked people to get in touch with us if they had something happen or if they want to explain to us what there situation was, because each voter will have a different situation,” said Benson.
BC Civil Liberties Association president Rob Homes said that he personally experienced the new voting identification process when his family went to mark their ballots.
He said his eldest daughter, who is studying away at college, only had her passport and election card with her address on it at the polling station. She was told she was not eligible to vote.
“Your passport, is your passport, it’s a photo ID. But they said no that the photo ID had to have your address on it. What would you do if you just moved in to a polling district? You would have to et a neighbour to vouch for you but who would do that considering you just moved in?
The BC Public Interests and Advocacy Centre (BCIAC) has taken the issue to the BC Supreme Court, which expects an early June hearing on the matter. The case is based on a section three of the charter of rights, which is supposed to protect Canadian citizen’s right to vote.
Currently, the BCIAC is touring the Lower Mainland looking for sworn affidavits from people who have been rejected or had trouble placing their votes.
Jim Quail of the BCIAC said that he also didn’t have the statistical information on how many have complained so far, but said that number is a bit of a red herring.
“The bigger number is going to be the people who knew about the rules that didn’t even bother going to the polling place. There is now way they are counting them but I suspect that the low-voter turnout is not a complete coincidence,” said Quail.
“It was just a real fiasco,” said Cullen. “We had a lot of angry voters who were disenfranchised - weren’t able to vote in the end - and we are frustrated. This is the last thing we want to do with an electorate that is already not coming out in huge numbers.”
According to electionresrouces.org, there were almost 1.9 million B. C. voters this year, down from the 2.75 million who chose to participate in the 2006 federal election.
The toll free number to let Elections Canada know about how the vote went is 1-800-463-06868.
The reports that have come in so far after the election suggest that more than a few BC residents were left on the outside of the electoral process, when their ID wasn’t sufficient or they neglected to bring enough of it to meet the requirements.
It’s an in issue that has the local MP Nathan Cullen, as well as a provincial advocacy group both expressing concerns for the disenfranchised voters of October.
The Wednesday Daily News outlined the controversy and the concerns that have been raised over it.
MP Cullen concerned about hurdles for would-be voters
By George T. Baker
The Daily News
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Page five
Two weeks have passed since Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen was re-elected for a third term but he remains concerned about voting across the region – or better put, the voting that did not happen.
“We have a number of reports coming in from right across the entire Northwest and other parts of the country, where we are hearing about hundreds of people being turned away from the voting booths because of our new election law,” said Cullen.
Cullen said the NDP had voted against the changes, which made having a current address on your identification as the only valid form of identification.
The new identification rules for voting in this federal election had caused some concern going into Oct. 14 because the rules did not allow Canadian passports nor First Nations status cards as valid forms of identification. It also excluded the homeless from voting, because voting would require a home address.
According to Elections Canada, there are no statistics available relating to how many people were turned away nation0wide because of insufficient identification. But media relations contact Diane Benson said they are studying the issue and have heard anecdotally that there were some problems.
“We have received reports that this did happen and we have asked people to get in touch with us if they had something happen or if they want to explain to us what there situation was, because each voter will have a different situation,” said Benson.
BC Civil Liberties Association president Rob Homes said that he personally experienced the new voting identification process when his family went to mark their ballots.
He said his eldest daughter, who is studying away at college, only had her passport and election card with her address on it at the polling station. She was told she was not eligible to vote.
“Your passport, is your passport, it’s a photo ID. But they said no that the photo ID had to have your address on it. What would you do if you just moved in to a polling district? You would have to et a neighbour to vouch for you but who would do that considering you just moved in?
The BC Public Interests and Advocacy Centre (BCIAC) has taken the issue to the BC Supreme Court, which expects an early June hearing on the matter. The case is based on a section three of the charter of rights, which is supposed to protect Canadian citizen’s right to vote.
Currently, the BCIAC is touring the Lower Mainland looking for sworn affidavits from people who have been rejected or had trouble placing their votes.
Jim Quail of the BCIAC said that he also didn’t have the statistical information on how many have complained so far, but said that number is a bit of a red herring.
“The bigger number is going to be the people who knew about the rules that didn’t even bother going to the polling place. There is now way they are counting them but I suspect that the low-voter turnout is not a complete coincidence,” said Quail.
“It was just a real fiasco,” said Cullen. “We had a lot of angry voters who were disenfranchised - weren’t able to vote in the end - and we are frustrated. This is the last thing we want to do with an electorate that is already not coming out in huge numbers.”
According to electionresrouces.org, there were almost 1.9 million B. C. voters this year, down from the 2.75 million who chose to participate in the 2006 federal election.
The toll free number to let Elections Canada know about how the vote went is 1-800-463-06868.
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