The Harper Government’s proposed Fair Elections Act is designed to reduce voter fraud. This is a GOOD thing. After all, every fraudulent vote cancels out the ballot of an honest voter.
Bill C-23 – The Fair Elections Act has been through First Reading in the House of Commons and is currently being discussed by the Senate. It will help reduce voter fraud by:
– Ending the practice of vouching, which allows a voter with proper ID to vouch for someone without proper ID, and
– Prohibiting the use of Voter Information Cards as a form of acceptable identification.
These practices need to end because Elections Canada studies have found that:
– Up to 25% of vouching cases are “irregular”. In fact, some commentators are claiming the number is as high as 42%!
– Voter I.D. cards are often incorrect, with 1-in-6 having address errors.
Critics claim that by eliminating vouching and refusing voter information cards as proof of address, the Fair Elections Act undermines the right to vote protected by Section 3 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Remember this when you hear these complaints:
– The use of vouching has already been eliminated in at least five provinces and one territory.
– Having to prove your identity when you go to vote is not onerous. Elections Canada accepts 39 different forms of ID!
– HAVING TO PROVE YOUR IDENTITY WHEN YOU VOTE PROTECTS THE INTEGRITY OF THE BALLOT BOX. IT ENSURES THAT OUR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE VOTES ARE MEANINGFUL AND ACHIEVE THE RESULT DESIRED BY HONEST VOTERS.
Bill C-23 will help protect our right to vote, not undermine it. Therefore, it will help Canadians perform one of their most important responsibilities as citizens: to participate in Federal elections by casting an informed ballot and helping to determine the direction that our great country – Canada, the true North strong and free! – takes for the next 5 years.
