Big day in Canada today. Election Day. Most of us saw Farenheight 9/11 over the weekend so we're all trembling at the knees over how scary and unregulated the USA is. We've relived the chad incident, phew thank goodness we're so much cooler than that.
So some of us (though by far not "most" of my demo) head out to vote in this not-very-certain election, one which you might say has discomfortingly similar overtones to the last American one, the "oh, boy I'm glad I'm not American, I'm glad Canadians are so much smarter and more upright" election. And those of us who are paying attention discover that:
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BRING I.D. IF YOU BRING YOUR VOTER CARD (a flimsy piece of cardboard bearing no photo).
So I ask the people sitting behind the box, er, what if, say, my roommate brought in her card AND my card and voted twice.
And they tell me, with an almost bovine certainty, THAT could never happen because once a card is handed in the name is scratched off the list.
So I ask again, if my roommate votes with my card in the morning, then comes back with her card in the afternoon, and then I show up in the evening with no card, but with ID, I won't be able to vote?
But I didn't vote twice. My roommate voted once, commited electoral fraud once and I tried to vote once and was denied.
According to Michael on the phone at Elections Canada, "the system is based on good faith. They can ask you for ID, but are not required to." ("But Michael, that's scary and illogical." "Yes, it is.")
If you live in Canada, and the guy or gal you voted for loses in your riding, here's the address where you should write to complain:
Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs Clerk
House of Commons, Room 617
180 Wellington Street,
Ottawa,ON,Cana-duh
K1A 0A6
Posted by Jill Murray on June 28, 2004
Tags: Blog
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