Pre-registration of teens on voters list eyed
Allowing 16- and 17-year-olds in B.C. to pre-register on the provincial voters list is one of several recommendations from the chief electoral officer being considered by the legislature.
Keith Archer said in a report to MLAs that teens who register in advance would automatically be added to the voters list when they turn 18, and that would have a positive effect on voter turnout.
Archer also urged legislators to consider allowing greater access to personal information so electoral officials can ensure the voters list is kept up to date.
The report does not seek an end to paper ballots, but recommends the use of electronic poll books and ballot tabulators to make voting day more efficient.
Attorney General David Eby said his ministry welcomed Elections B.C.’s recommendations “with great interest.”
“I think it’s a great recommendation,” he said of the call to pre-register underage but otherwise qualified electors on the voters list.
“Certainly, it is forming the basis of discussion within government about ways we can ensure the younger voters get out there,” he said.
The proposals would require changes to electoral legislation, and Eby said he hopes all the ideas in the report can be addressed as quickly as possible.
Archer’s report also examines the length of the election calendar, noting the current 29-day campaign is fine for fixeddate general campaigns, but inadequate for on-demand or so-called “snap” elections.
Legislators should consider increasing the campaign period in B.C. by adding four to 10 days at the beginning of the election calendar for on-demand elections, meaning voting day would fall on a Saturday, 32 to 38 days after the writs are issued, Archer said in his report.
The extra time would apply in situations such as defeat of a government in a non-confidence vote.
Archer said longer campaigns could reduce costs linked to lastminute rentals and rushed shipments of supplies and also give candidates more time to correctly file their nomination papers.