Though I haven't been following Quebec's election too closely, based on the limited coverage I have seen I get the sense that we could be in for a bit of a change. Of course based on the outcomes of recent provincial elections, polls don't necessarily seem to be wonderful predictors of the eventual composition of the legislature.
Of course predictable or not, I hope to catch some of the coverage somehow tonight. I'm probably not quite motivated enough to head to a bar in Gatineau, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.
Showing posts with label Voting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Voting. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
And now it's the basis of a lawsuit
You may recall that a few months ago I brought up the issue that in Newfoundland and Labrador voters were able to cast special ballots before an election had been called.
Though I didn't hear anything about this issue from any of the parties during the election, it seems that a close election result in Burin-Placentia West has lead to a lawsuit being filed on this very issue. The NDP candidate is claiming that these provisions violated the Charter.
While I have no idea how this lawsuit will play out, I am certain that this is an important issue.
Hopefully a better process will be in place before the next provincial election.
Though I didn't hear anything about this issue from any of the parties during the election, it seems that a close election result in Burin-Placentia West has lead to a lawsuit being filed on this very issue. The NDP candidate is claiming that these provisions violated the Charter.
While I have no idea how this lawsuit will play out, I am certain that this is an important issue.
Hopefully a better process will be in place before the next provincial election.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Special Ballot Application Update 4
Well, after a little delay I was finally able to get my special ballot in the mail today. If all goes well my complete ballot should arrive in St. John's on Monday or Tuesday (and this is with the next day delivery option).
While it is a bummer that I had to spend $10 to send my ballot I am glad that it will arrive in time to be counted. There is nothing more frustrating than to have a special ballot that you know won't be counted.
One thing that I didn't mention about the Newfoundland special ballot process is that the ballot comes with a return postage paid envelope. This is something that I think should be included with federal special ballots. Though as far as I can tell this is the one aspect of the Newfoundland special ballot process that is better than the federal process. Sadly neither agency provides the voter with a list of approved candidates or voting options. Apparently you are just supposed to know who is running in your district.
Hopefully this will be the last of my special ballot updates.
While it is a bummer that I had to spend $10 to send my ballot I am glad that it will arrive in time to be counted. There is nothing more frustrating than to have a special ballot that you know won't be counted.
One thing that I didn't mention about the Newfoundland special ballot process is that the ballot comes with a return postage paid envelope. This is something that I think should be included with federal special ballots. Though as far as I can tell this is the one aspect of the Newfoundland special ballot process that is better than the federal process. Sadly neither agency provides the voter with a list of approved candidates or voting options. Apparently you are just supposed to know who is running in your district.
Hopefully this will be the last of my special ballot updates.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Special Ballot Application Update 3
I had hoped to have my special ballot in the mail by this morning. Unfortunately, I failed to give it to Jeannette to drop off at the post office. Because it is due on Wednesday and I don't trust Canada Post to be the least bit prompt with regular mail I will probably have to send my ballot by Xpresspost tomorrow. Bummer.
The upside of all of this is that I should have a ballot that will actually be counted. I am sure that some of my past absentee ballots have not been so fortunate.
The upside of all of this is that I should have a ballot that will actually be counted. I am sure that some of my past absentee ballots have not been so fortunate.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Special Ballot Application Update 2
Well, when I went out to check my mail this evening I found that my special ballot had arrived. This is actually a fair bit earlier than I expected it to arrive. It seems that the factor that I wasn't accounting for was that Elections Newfoundland and Labrador sent my ballot via Xpresspost - something that I may have to do to return it before the deadline.
Of course, my special ballot did not come with a list of candidates or parties that have candidates and as the Elections Newfoundland and Labrador website doesn't provide such information I guess I will have to rely on the party websites to know who are the candidates in my district.
Anyway, I am just glad to have the ballot with enough time to submit it before the October 5 deadline.
Of course, my special ballot did not come with a list of candidates or parties that have candidates and as the Elections Newfoundland and Labrador website doesn't provide such information I guess I will have to rely on the party websites to know who are the candidates in my district.
Anyway, I am just glad to have the ballot with enough time to submit it before the October 5 deadline.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Why is voting by special ballot so different than voting in person?
Newfoundland is just about to have its second fixed term election. And, like the last one, voting day will be in October, October 11 to be precise.
Of course, in many ways the switch to fixed term elections mean that voting day doesn't quite mean what it used to. It is no longer the case that voting need be confined to the short campaign period after the election has been called until the end of the election.
It seems that it is now possible to vote as early as August 22, if you want to vote by special ballot. This change amazes me because it means that it is now possible to vote before the election has been called or nominations are closed. People are being allowed to vote before they can hope to know the potential candidates for among whom they might be choosing.
Oh, and if you are voting by special ballot and you actually want to wait long enough to see a list of confirmed candidates (nominations close on October 1) you have about four days to make your decision as your ballot needs to be received by October 5. The reality for those of us forced to rely on an unreliable postal system to submit our ballots is that we will have to vote before we can see a list of confirmed candidates.
Could they not, at a later date, just add the special ballots to the votes cast on election day? Would this be so hard? Would it delay the ability to confirm the results by more than a few days?
It is frustrating that even with all of this lead up and the ability to start casting special ballots more than a month before the election that the system still isn't particularly attuned to the needs of individuals voting by special ballot.
Not that my opinions count for much, but if I had the ability to change things I wouldn't hesitate to make the following changes:
Generally, at least to me, it seems that we should making it easier to cast informed votes would be a move in the right direction.
Of course, in many ways the switch to fixed term elections mean that voting day doesn't quite mean what it used to. It is no longer the case that voting need be confined to the short campaign period after the election has been called until the end of the election.
It seems that it is now possible to vote as early as August 22, if you want to vote by special ballot. This change amazes me because it means that it is now possible to vote before the election has been called or nominations are closed. People are being allowed to vote before they can hope to know the potential candidates for among whom they might be choosing.
Oh, and if you are voting by special ballot and you actually want to wait long enough to see a list of confirmed candidates (nominations close on October 1) you have about four days to make your decision as your ballot needs to be received by October 5. The reality for those of us forced to rely on an unreliable postal system to submit our ballots is that we will have to vote before we can see a list of confirmed candidates.
Could they not, at a later date, just add the special ballots to the votes cast on election day? Would this be so hard? Would it delay the ability to confirm the results by more than a few days?
It is frustrating that even with all of this lead up and the ability to start casting special ballots more than a month before the election that the system still isn't particularly attuned to the needs of individuals voting by special ballot.
Not that my opinions count for much, but if I had the ability to change things I wouldn't hesitate to make the following changes:
1) Increase the time between the final confirmation of candidates and election day. It might make sense to have this date coincide with the commencement of media advertising.
2) Disallow voting before the election writs have been issued and candidate nominations confirmed.
3) Accept special ballots that are post-marked or delivered in-person on or before election day.
4) Work with the post office to facilitate the prompt collection and delivery of mail ballots.
5) Eliminate the deadline to apply for a special ballot.
Generally, at least to me, it seems that we should making it easier to cast informed votes would be a move in the right direction.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Campaign Literature Update
A few days ago I mentioned that we had not yet received any campaign literature.
It seems that yesterday may have marked a turning point as we received literature from three of the four candidates. Then today I noticed that our lobby has been again filled with literature from the Liberal and Conservative candidates. Perhaps not surprisingly, we have yet to receive any literature/flyers from the Green Party candidate.
Given that we have now received flyers for two days in a row I suspect that we may be in for another batch tomorrow, and then maybe even over the weekend.
What we still haven't received are either calls from pollsters or at-the-door visits from any of the campaigns. I am starting to hope that our recently acquired campaign flyers are a sign canvassing teams are just around the corner, though this is likely a little too optimistic a stance to take.
Campaign literature aside, I really don't have much of a sense of how the race in this riding is likely to turnout. Though this has long been an NDP riding and the current incumbent is NDP the Liberal candidate really seems to be pushing quite hard and may have more signs throughout the district (and we have certainly received more campaign literature from him). On the other hand, that the Green Party and Conservative candidates are unlikely to win does seem pretty clear, at least if numbers of signs is a good indicator of likelihood of winning.
It seems that yesterday may have marked a turning point as we received literature from three of the four candidates. Then today I noticed that our lobby has been again filled with literature from the Liberal and Conservative candidates. Perhaps not surprisingly, we have yet to receive any literature/flyers from the Green Party candidate.
Given that we have now received flyers for two days in a row I suspect that we may be in for another batch tomorrow, and then maybe even over the weekend.
What we still haven't received are either calls from pollsters or at-the-door visits from any of the campaigns. I am starting to hope that our recently acquired campaign flyers are a sign canvassing teams are just around the corner, though this is likely a little too optimistic a stance to take.
Campaign literature aside, I really don't have much of a sense of how the race in this riding is likely to turnout. Though this has long been an NDP riding and the current incumbent is NDP the Liberal candidate really seems to be pushing quite hard and may have more signs throughout the district (and we have certainly received more campaign literature from him). On the other hand, that the Green Party and Conservative candidates are unlikely to win does seem pretty clear, at least if numbers of signs is a good indicator of likelihood of winning.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Don't look too closely, things might not be pretty
A few days ago Twitter was abuzz with complaints about Elections Canada advance polling staff not knowing many of the rules relating to acceptable forms of identification when voting. Sadly, I can't say that I was the least bit surprised that this was the case. Actually, I would have been more surprised if polling station employees had known all of the rules and had applied them properly.
I say this for two related reasons. Firstly, a few years ago my father and brother had the pleasure of working as scrutineers for a friend who was a candidate and were able to witness first hand the many errors made by polling station staff. Secondly, just a few days ago a friend of mine who will be working at a polling station for election described the training he received and the conditions under which he would be work, and lets just say that both are less than ideal.
One thing that my father, brother, and friend pointed out is that polling station employees have to put in brutally long days before they even get around to counting the votes. According to my friend, not only do the same two polling station attendees have to guard/watch the same ballot box from the time polling starts to the time it ends, they also don't get a break and need to shut down their box any time anyone needs to step away from the polling station (like when someone goes to the bathroom).
So then after already putting in a 12 or 13 hour work day these same polling station workers finally get down to counting the votes and filling out the associated forms. According to my father and brother the polling station attendants they worked with weren't particularly good at filling out these forms and sometimes didn't do it accurately. And why would they be familiar with these forms - many of them haven't filled in these forms before and those who have wouldn't have done it since the preceding election (which, in this case, was now three years ago). Of course, there are also issues relating adding and counting that could crop up under close scrutiny (so one hopes that there are scrupulous scrutineers).
Oh, and did you know how much training polling station employees have? According to my friend he received 3 hours of training. That's right, just a single three hour training session. He also suggested it wasn't a particularly effective 3 hour training session. I should note that one of the things my friend said he did learn was that in cases where the records would indicate that someone has voted but the voter claims they have not the polling station attendant is supposed to allow them to vote.
So of course given the limited training provided and that polling station employees are not overly familiar with the proper procedures and protocol and then when you throw fatigue into the mix does it surprise anyone that there are polling station employees making mistakes?
I guess I find it funny that so much time and effort has gone into policing campaign expenditures and donations yet relatively little effort seems to have been placed on ensuring that the actual voting process/vote counting process is not amenable to error or manipulation. And such issues will be come all the more important in cases where there are close races when a handful of votes actually makes a difference one way or the other.
I say this for two related reasons. Firstly, a few years ago my father and brother had the pleasure of working as scrutineers for a friend who was a candidate and were able to witness first hand the many errors made by polling station staff. Secondly, just a few days ago a friend of mine who will be working at a polling station for election described the training he received and the conditions under which he would be work, and lets just say that both are less than ideal.
One thing that my father, brother, and friend pointed out is that polling station employees have to put in brutally long days before they even get around to counting the votes. According to my friend, not only do the same two polling station attendees have to guard/watch the same ballot box from the time polling starts to the time it ends, they also don't get a break and need to shut down their box any time anyone needs to step away from the polling station (like when someone goes to the bathroom).
So then after already putting in a 12 or 13 hour work day these same polling station workers finally get down to counting the votes and filling out the associated forms. According to my father and brother the polling station attendants they worked with weren't particularly good at filling out these forms and sometimes didn't do it accurately. And why would they be familiar with these forms - many of them haven't filled in these forms before and those who have wouldn't have done it since the preceding election (which, in this case, was now three years ago). Of course, there are also issues relating adding and counting that could crop up under close scrutiny (so one hopes that there are scrupulous scrutineers).
Oh, and did you know how much training polling station employees have? According to my friend he received 3 hours of training. That's right, just a single three hour training session. He also suggested it wasn't a particularly effective 3 hour training session. I should note that one of the things my friend said he did learn was that in cases where the records would indicate that someone has voted but the voter claims they have not the polling station attendant is supposed to allow them to vote.
So of course given the limited training provided and that polling station employees are not overly familiar with the proper procedures and protocol and then when you throw fatigue into the mix does it surprise anyone that there are polling station employees making mistakes?
I guess I find it funny that so much time and effort has gone into policing campaign expenditures and donations yet relatively little effort seems to have been placed on ensuring that the actual voting process/vote counting process is not amenable to error or manipulation. And such issues will be come all the more important in cases where there are close races when a handful of votes actually makes a difference one way or the other.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Advance polling numbers from Election Canada
Elections Canada just released preliminary numbers on this past weekend's advance polling. It seems that close to 500 000 more people than in 2008 voted during the advance polling period (and this count doesn't include the number of special ballots that have been cast) bringing the total advance polling votes to just over 2 million.
Given that the advance polling period took place on a holiday weekend I am not sure how much of this 34.5% bump in turnout is really indicative of an overall increase in turnout, though I guess I would be a little surprised if we saw as low a rate of turnout as we saw in 2008.
The eventual overall turnout aside, I think that these advance polling numbers certainly don't pose a serious threat to the argument that holding the primary polling day on a non-working day might improve turnout/participation.
Oh, if 2008 is used as an indicator of turnout, the advance polling numbers might mean that upwards of 1/7 of the total number of votes have already been cast. I guess now I am curious to know if any polls have been conducted to figure out how these 2 million voters voted.
I should also note that I am quite pleased with Elections Canada for releasing these numbers so quickly.
Given that the advance polling period took place on a holiday weekend I am not sure how much of this 34.5% bump in turnout is really indicative of an overall increase in turnout, though I guess I would be a little surprised if we saw as low a rate of turnout as we saw in 2008.
The eventual overall turnout aside, I think that these advance polling numbers certainly don't pose a serious threat to the argument that holding the primary polling day on a non-working day might improve turnout/participation.
Oh, if 2008 is used as an indicator of turnout, the advance polling numbers might mean that upwards of 1/7 of the total number of votes have already been cast. I guess now I am curious to know if any polls have been conducted to figure out how these 2 million voters voted.
I should also note that I am quite pleased with Elections Canada for releasing these numbers so quickly.
Friday, April 22, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 536
-Today turned out to be a pretty nice day. I guess it was fitting for Earth Day.
-Today,for the first time in quite a while, I took an afternoon nap - it was great.
-I made some chili for dinner tonight.
-As Easter is fast approaching I will soon need to start work on my Easter bread baking project. As things stand right now I will likely be taking care of most of this baking tomorrow afternoon or evening.
-Today was an advance polling day in the current Canadian election. Based on polling station reports from Neil and Rebecca and comments I have seen on Twitter I get the sense that these events were well attended. Actually, I am curious if we will ever see exactly how many people voted this way and if the numbers were higher than in past years when the advance polling day happened on a not-holiday.
-Actually, the more I think about it the more I think that voting day should be a holiday/non-work day. Such a change might also provide Canada Post of being a little more useful in terms of collecting special ballots on the final day of the election.
-Today,for the first time in quite a while, I took an afternoon nap - it was great.
-I made some chili for dinner tonight.
-As Easter is fast approaching I will soon need to start work on my Easter bread baking project. As things stand right now I will likely be taking care of most of this baking tomorrow afternoon or evening.
-Today was an advance polling day in the current Canadian election. Based on polling station reports from Neil and Rebecca and comments I have seen on Twitter I get the sense that these events were well attended. Actually, I am curious if we will ever see exactly how many people voted this way and if the numbers were higher than in past years when the advance polling day happened on a not-holiday.
-Actually, the more I think about it the more I think that voting day should be a holiday/non-work day. Such a change might also provide Canada Post of being a little more useful in terms of collecting special ballots on the final day of the election.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Democracy in Action
As I believe I recently mentioned, on Friday I got around to casting my special ballot.
As you can see, it was a pretty special moment.
[Embedded video]
I just hope it makes it to Ottawa in time to be counted.
As you can see, it was a pretty special moment.
[Embedded video]
I just hope it makes it to Ottawa in time to be counted.
Friday, April 15, 2011
I am no longer with Ballot
Earlier this evening I finally got around to placing my completed special ballot in the mail. Hopefully it will arrive in Ottawa in the next few days.
I am glad that my special ballot wasn't caught up in the same kind of stink that some special at the University of Guelph were earlier today. Later in the day Elections Canada confirmed that the votes that had been cast through the contested process will stand and that similar practices will be discontinued for the duration of the election.
I am glad that my special ballot wasn't caught up in the same kind of stink that some special at the University of Guelph were earlier today. Later in the day Elections Canada confirmed that the votes that had been cast through the contested process will stand and that similar practices will be discontinued for the duration of the election.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I am now with Ballot
Just in times for the debates my special ballot arrived. Who knows, maybe I will cast it immediately after the debate.
How classy.
How underwhelming?
And I have to provide my old writing utensil.
How classy.
How underwhelming?
And I have to provide my old writing utensil.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
How many voters will be turned away?
A few days go, when I first tried to download a special ballot application, I noticed that Elections Canada had changed it's website. It seems that no longer can one just download a straight PDF of the special ballot application, a somewhat more complicated process has now been implemented.
First off, one needs to have a recent version of Adobe Reader and not just a generic PDF reader. Then, it seems, one also has to have Java capability. Not surprisingly, even after I downloaded the Elections Canada linked-to version of Adobe Reader I was unable to access the application.
After a few failed attempts I finally got around to calling Elections Canada to ask how I might go about getting a copy of the special ballot application. The answer I basically got was that I could go to a local Elections Canada office and pick up a hard copy of the form. While explaining my problems with the form I was told that "people are having problems with it," suggesting that the problem is much more wide spread than just me. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to ask the employee exactly how widespread the problem is.
But I do wonder how many 'people' are having problems with the form and how many of these 'people' might decided to just forgo voting instead of figuring how to get a copy of the application? Given the time of year that it is, and that many students, in particular, might be discouraged by the more-complicated-than-necessary process I wonder what kind of impact this change will have? Given the low rate of voter turnout that Canada already has we can hardly afford to turn even more people away because of technological constraints.
Oh, and the best part is that this more complicated process just leads one back to a pretty straightforward PDF (maybe the same one I downloaded in 2008?) that has to be manually completed and then printed. Most the the Java based data submission is for naught and could be just as easily completed by the applicant on the final application.
What an incredibly frustrating process this has been, and all I wanted to do was download a PDF.
First off, one needs to have a recent version of Adobe Reader and not just a generic PDF reader. Then, it seems, one also has to have Java capability. Not surprisingly, even after I downloaded the Elections Canada linked-to version of Adobe Reader I was unable to access the application.
After a few failed attempts I finally got around to calling Elections Canada to ask how I might go about getting a copy of the special ballot application. The answer I basically got was that I could go to a local Elections Canada office and pick up a hard copy of the form. While explaining my problems with the form I was told that "people are having problems with it," suggesting that the problem is much more wide spread than just me. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to ask the employee exactly how widespread the problem is.
But I do wonder how many 'people' are having problems with the form and how many of these 'people' might decided to just forgo voting instead of figuring how to get a copy of the application? Given the time of year that it is, and that many students, in particular, might be discouraged by the more-complicated-than-necessary process I wonder what kind of impact this change will have? Given the low rate of voter turnout that Canada already has we can hardly afford to turn even more people away because of technological constraints.
Oh, and the best part is that this more complicated process just leads one back to a pretty straightforward PDF (maybe the same one I downloaded in 2008?) that has to be manually completed and then printed. Most the the Java based data submission is for naught and could be just as easily completed by the applicant on the final application.
What an incredibly frustrating process this has been, and all I wanted to do was download a PDF.
Friday, December 31, 2010
My mind is being blown
I am currently completing a survey for the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) about absentee voting and just having my mind blown by all of the information and services this program makes available to overseas US voters. I really wish I had know about even 25% of this stuff before I didn't get my fall absentee ballot in time.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
A Few Quick Notes 242
-Today, though cool, was quite nice. Actually, as far as Fall days ago it was about as nice as one might hope for.
-Several weeks ago Neil requested tickets to attend a taping of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a news satire show that is filmed in Halifax. Not too long after the request was placed we were notified that we had tickets for the November 3 taping of the show.
Soon after hearing about the tickets I managed to forget about them. At some point this weekend it dawned on me that would be be going on Monday and that I had best mentally prepare myself.
Anyway, tonight was the night, and, all things considered, I think it went pretty well. Actually, it was a much more pleasant experience than the taping of Letterman that I attended a few years ago. The topical news satire as well as the pre-recorded sketches were both funny. As one might expect, this weeks show was somewhat heavy on US election content. Surprisingly, some of this content wasn't as funny as I might have expected, especially considering there are so many possibilities for humour.
As usual, the view of the performance is somewhat impeded by the cameras and various pieces of equipment needed to tape the show. Also, the crowd is relatively far away from the performers so that this equipment can be used to its fullest effect. This was only a real problem at the end of the show when they were filming a sketch and I was basically unable to see two of the three performers.
-Several days ago I discovered a bottle of port that Neil and Rebecca had been hiding in the booze cupboard. While the port is of the cheap variety I have been quite impressed with the flavour and overall port-consumption experience.
-After several days of threats and ineffective planning, I eventually got around to shaving my beard. I was motivated by a desire not look like too much of a slob, though I am sure that such motivation won't be long lasting and that before long I will have a beard of some sort again.
Fortunately, I wasn't too hasty with the clippers and I was able to save a 'stache from the mess that was my beard. While the 'stache is in fine shape at the moment, it isn't like to last all that long. Who knows, it may even be gone by the time I head to class tomorrow (though that would require more motivation that I think I might have).
-Tuesday is election day in the US. I was able to cast my absentee ballot a few weeks ago. Hopefully it made it safely, but as I didn't send it registered mail I really have no idea if this is the case.
-Several weeks ago Neil requested tickets to attend a taping of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a news satire show that is filmed in Halifax. Not too long after the request was placed we were notified that we had tickets for the November 3 taping of the show.
Soon after hearing about the tickets I managed to forget about them. At some point this weekend it dawned on me that would be be going on Monday and that I had best mentally prepare myself.
Anyway, tonight was the night, and, all things considered, I think it went pretty well. Actually, it was a much more pleasant experience than the taping of Letterman that I attended a few years ago. The topical news satire as well as the pre-recorded sketches were both funny. As one might expect, this weeks show was somewhat heavy on US election content. Surprisingly, some of this content wasn't as funny as I might have expected, especially considering there are so many possibilities for humour.
As usual, the view of the performance is somewhat impeded by the cameras and various pieces of equipment needed to tape the show. Also, the crowd is relatively far away from the performers so that this equipment can be used to its fullest effect. This was only a real problem at the end of the show when they were filming a sketch and I was basically unable to see two of the three performers.
-Several days ago I discovered a bottle of port that Neil and Rebecca had been hiding in the booze cupboard. While the port is of the cheap variety I have been quite impressed with the flavour and overall port-consumption experience.
-After several days of threats and ineffective planning, I eventually got around to shaving my beard. I was motivated by a desire not look like too much of a slob, though I am sure that such motivation won't be long lasting and that before long I will have a beard of some sort again.
Fortunately, I wasn't too hasty with the clippers and I was able to save a 'stache from the mess that was my beard. While the 'stache is in fine shape at the moment, it isn't like to last all that long. Who knows, it may even be gone by the time I head to class tomorrow (though that would require more motivation that I think I might have).
-Tuesday is election day in the US. I was able to cast my absentee ballot a few weeks ago. Hopefully it made it safely, but as I didn't send it registered mail I really have no idea if this is the case.
Friday, October 17, 2008
A Few Quick Notes 235
-While we had some rain yesterday, things seem to have turned around today. We had a pretty nice fall day as far as I can remember, though I feel as though I spent much of it inside.
-Yesterday my class was canceled. It seems that my professor was ill. The result is that the presentation that I was supposed to give yesterday has been postponed until next week, which is fine with me. Now, instead of preparing for a new topic I can spend this time trying to catch up on other work that has started to pile up.
-Because some of my time was freed up because of the canceled class I felt that I could take the time to head to Point Pleasant Park for a stroll, which is a trip that I have been meaning to take since I arrived. As expected, the visit was quite nice, though it would have been even better had the skies not been overcast and threatening showers. Maybe I will try to head back at some point in the coming weeks, but I can see that I might be on the busy side.
-Yesterday Neil and I got around to mailing absentee ballots for the upcoming American election. It ended up costing us $2.17 per envelop to send our ballots to US. This seems a little high as they weren't particularly big envelops, and as it only cost the New York Board of Elections 97 cents to send them to us. Can it really cost that much more to send things from Canada to the US than from the US to Canada?
-It seems that I can avoid my TA obligations no more, I will finally have to start working on the three lectures that I have to give at the end of October. On Monday I will get a final confirmation of the topics/unit that I will be covering. Unfortunately, this really doesn't give me all that much time to prepare, and as I still don't have a copy of the text book I imagine that I will even have less time. Anyway, how long can it possibly take to prepare for three one hour lectures that I have never given before? Surely not more than 2 or 3 hours and I can probably count on the class jumping in with contributions to fill up any extra time I have. Oh, I also need to come up with an assignment/essay topic that relates to the as of yet unknown lecture topics.
-I recently had a few ideas about the recent Canadian election and proportionality, if they come to anything I may try to post them here. Basically I am trying to find a way of determining if the elections are becoming more proportional or not, or if there is even a trend in either direction.
-Yesterday my class was canceled. It seems that my professor was ill. The result is that the presentation that I was supposed to give yesterday has been postponed until next week, which is fine with me. Now, instead of preparing for a new topic I can spend this time trying to catch up on other work that has started to pile up.
-Because some of my time was freed up because of the canceled class I felt that I could take the time to head to Point Pleasant Park for a stroll, which is a trip that I have been meaning to take since I arrived. As expected, the visit was quite nice, though it would have been even better had the skies not been overcast and threatening showers. Maybe I will try to head back at some point in the coming weeks, but I can see that I might be on the busy side.
-Yesterday Neil and I got around to mailing absentee ballots for the upcoming American election. It ended up costing us $2.17 per envelop to send our ballots to US. This seems a little high as they weren't particularly big envelops, and as it only cost the New York Board of Elections 97 cents to send them to us. Can it really cost that much more to send things from Canada to the US than from the US to Canada?
-It seems that I can avoid my TA obligations no more, I will finally have to start working on the three lectures that I have to give at the end of October. On Monday I will get a final confirmation of the topics/unit that I will be covering. Unfortunately, this really doesn't give me all that much time to prepare, and as I still don't have a copy of the text book I imagine that I will even have less time. Anyway, how long can it possibly take to prepare for three one hour lectures that I have never given before? Surely not more than 2 or 3 hours and I can probably count on the class jumping in with contributions to fill up any extra time I have. Oh, I also need to come up with an assignment/essay topic that relates to the as of yet unknown lecture topics.
-I recently had a few ideas about the recent Canadian election and proportionality, if they come to anything I may try to post them here. Basically I am trying to find a way of determining if the elections are becoming more proportional or not, or if there is even a trend in either direction.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A Few Quick Notes 234
-Today was pretty beautiful. The sun was out in full force and the temperature quite nice for walking.
While I feel as though I keep indicating that it is superb weather we actually have had a little sub-par weather recently. Notably, on Thanksgiving we had some rain, and we might get some later in the week (meaning as early as tomorrow), not that I am looking for this to end or meaning to complain.
-On Monday evening we had three people over for Thanksgiving dinner. While I was somewhat apprehensive about this decision, mainly because I had a paper due on Tuesday, it turned out quite well. Actually, that I had something to take a break from may have made the evening more enjoyable.
We had what I consider a pretty standard Thanksgiving meal, meaning turkey, vegetables, potatoes, gravy, and stuffing. For my first turkey I was quite pleased with the results, especially considering that I did it without the ideal roasting equipment.
-As some of you may know, there was an election in Canada yesterday. After about four hours of library work and a notification that the building would soon be closing I decided to call it a night and head over to the Grad House and watch the election coverage with Neil and a few of his friends. By the time I arrived, which was at about midnight, most people had cleared out and the results of the election were largely known, though CBC held off on officially calling it a minority government win for the Conservatives for some time.
Unfortunately, the CBC coverage was pretty bad. Not only did they not provide us with the information we wanted (like how people were doing outside of Atlantic Canada) the broadcast was simply not well put together. At one point we watched in disbelief as one of the presenters stood in front of a screen and gave a very hastily prepared presentation on election related Twitter activity. This stood out because they didn't even use the normal technology that would have allowed them to directly broadcast the images, or green-screen technology that would have allowed the woman to stand in front of the image. Instead she stood in front of a TV screen and manually flipped through the pages of a presentation, all the while the guts of the program were available to views. I won't continue any further complaints as I don't think my complaints about the coverage will be particularly useful to anyone, nor will they be pleasant to read.
-Yesterday my American ballot finally arrived. While I was quite pleased to see that it had finally arrived, I was quite disappointed to learn that like in the Canadian case I have to provide my own stamp to return my completed ballot (though to be fair I didn't expect that this would work from Canada). I guess what I found particularly shocking about the return envelope is that there appear to be several spelling mistakes, though it is possible that I am just not reading things correctly. Anyway, if you can figure out why the spelling in the adjacent picture is I would be quite interested in hearing about it.
Anyway, I guess I will have to figure out how I am going to vote and then find an appropriate stamp and send it back before it is to late.
While I feel as though I keep indicating that it is superb weather we actually have had a little sub-par weather recently. Notably, on Thanksgiving we had some rain, and we might get some later in the week (meaning as early as tomorrow), not that I am looking for this to end or meaning to complain.
-On Monday evening we had three people over for Thanksgiving dinner. While I was somewhat apprehensive about this decision, mainly because I had a paper due on Tuesday, it turned out quite well. Actually, that I had something to take a break from may have made the evening more enjoyable.
We had what I consider a pretty standard Thanksgiving meal, meaning turkey, vegetables, potatoes, gravy, and stuffing. For my first turkey I was quite pleased with the results, especially considering that I did it without the ideal roasting equipment.
-As some of you may know, there was an election in Canada yesterday. After about four hours of library work and a notification that the building would soon be closing I decided to call it a night and head over to the Grad House and watch the election coverage with Neil and a few of his friends. By the time I arrived, which was at about midnight, most people had cleared out and the results of the election were largely known, though CBC held off on officially calling it a minority government win for the Conservatives for some time.
Unfortunately, the CBC coverage was pretty bad. Not only did they not provide us with the information we wanted (like how people were doing outside of Atlantic Canada) the broadcast was simply not well put together. At one point we watched in disbelief as one of the presenters stood in front of a screen and gave a very hastily prepared presentation on election related Twitter activity. This stood out because they didn't even use the normal technology that would have allowed them to directly broadcast the images, or green-screen technology that would have allowed the woman to stand in front of the image. Instead she stood in front of a TV screen and manually flipped through the pages of a presentation, all the while the guts of the program were available to views. I won't continue any further complaints as I don't think my complaints about the coverage will be particularly useful to anyone, nor will they be pleasant to read.
-Yesterday my American ballot finally arrived. While I was quite pleased to see that it had finally arrived, I was quite disappointed to learn that like in the Canadian case I have to provide my own stamp to return my completed ballot (though to be fair I didn't expect that this would work from Canada). I guess what I found particularly shocking about the return envelope is that there appear to be several spelling mistakes, though it is possible that I am just not reading things correctly. Anyway, if you can figure out why the spelling in the adjacent picture is I would be quite interested in hearing about it.
Anyway, I guess I will have to figure out how I am going to vote and then find an appropriate stamp and send it back before it is to late.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Voter Turnout in Canada
Earlier today I happened to be reading an article that discussed voter turnout trends in Canada. Unfortunately, the article was about 10 years old so many of the more recent elections weren't included, for obvious reasons, in the discussions.
I wondered what had happened in the more recent elections and thought that I might try to find the newer numbers. Fortunately, a quick Google search turned up what I was looking for, a table of the turnout rates from 1867 to 2006.
What I was most surprised to see was that while we have recently had relatively low turnouts, these numbers aren't all that much lower than turnout rates in the pre-WWII era. Even more shocking is that Canada has never had a particularly impressive turnout rate (nothing over 80%), nor have they had anything below half.
I wondered what had happened in the more recent elections and thought that I might try to find the newer numbers. Fortunately, a quick Google search turned up what I was looking for, a table of the turnout rates from 1867 to 2006.
What I was most surprised to see was that while we have recently had relatively low turnouts, these numbers aren't all that much lower than turnout rates in the pre-WWII era. Even more shocking is that Canada has never had a particularly impressive turnout rate (nothing over 80%), nor have they had anything below half.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Does Elections Canada really want me to not vote?
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.
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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