Over the past several elections I have had the pleasure of occasionally temporarily residing away from my permanent address. These absences have allowed me to have the pleasure of applying for and using absentee ballots in federal and provincial elections. While not all of the conditions are the same at the federal and provincial level, it seems that the more problematic elements transcend levels of government to give some indication of a truly 'Canadian' approach to elections and voting.
The following are a few of my issues with the present conditions:
-One of the most striking elements of the absentee ballot process in Canada is how they have reversed onus when it comes to voting. Instead of it trying to help the voter cast their ballot by coordinating with the post office to ensure speedy delivery of ballots (as is done in the United Kingdom), it is the responsibility the voter to have the ballot in Ottawa by the time of the election. This takes a fair burden off of the post office and places on the shoulders of the voters as the clear implication is that no special effort will be made to have votes moved more quickly. Particularly strange is that there no guarantee that if a ballot is in the mail by a certain day that they will guarantee that it will make it to Ottawa. The implication is that you should get your ballot in the mail as quickly as possible. The consequence of this is that people are then casting their votes days or weeks before the end of the campaign, before all kinds of policy statements are released, and at a time when candidacies may still be open to change. So much for trying to be an informed voter.
-If you are voting by absentee ballot you have to provide your own stamp, meaning that it more expensive to vote for those who can't make it to the polling station. I don't mean to gripe about 60 cents, but I do find this particularly strange when you can send letters to MPs for free. That parties use this power in association with campaign literature makes it all the more surprising that my postage isn't paid with my absentee ballot. The other strange aspect of this is that it is quite clear that they can coordinate such arrangements with the post office, so why haven't they do it in this case?
-Once you get your absentee ballot you find that they don't even provide you with a list of candidates, though you are informed that you are able to vote either for a candidate or party. Maybe this is an indication that there is a problem. If your campaign period is too short for you to be able to print ballots than maybe your campaign period is simply too short. Is it really too much to ask to at least be sent an official list of the candidates, or am I just being picky?
-Something that I learned today is that the Elections Canada people seemingly don't check name of applicant against list of registered voters (even though I.D. is required presumably for this purpose). This means that people who are unregistered to vote can be sent ballots (the question is whether or not they will be counted once they are returned to Elections Canada). It seems that they could save themselves some hassle by doing the checking before they issue the ballots rather than once they get the ballots back and are trying to count them.
-Today I learned that at least one of the employees at the end of the help line is not familiar with the the term 'absentee ballot.' Rebecca tried to ask him a question about her absentee ballot and he didn't know what she was talking about. Apparently he couldn't figure out that 'absentee ballot' and 'special ballot' are synonyms.
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4 comments:
You should mail your ballot to the MP and ask him to send it to Ottawa in protest of having to buy a stamp!
I'll point out that you have to pay postage both to receive the ballot and then again to mail it. You also have to include photocopies of documents, which could easily cost the elector another $0.10.
Then, as you know, if you vote for a party that ends up getting enough votes, then the taxpayers give $2 t the political parties.
I about sending it to my MP, but then I would totally lose control of the process. What happens if they decide they don't want to do it and send it back to me? Then I am really screwed.
Another option would be to call a party and ask for a stamp, kind of like asking for a ride to the polling location.
Yes it's a pretty stupid situation. It may seem nothing, your vote is just a drop in the ocean, but voting is the main pillar of western democracies, it's your basic right in our society and government should enable you to vote with no respect to any possible obstacles! Especially, when examples from other countries show us it's possible!
Julie
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