New voter ID law corrects an injustice

It makes sense to allow voter information cards to be used as proof of address, Pierre J. Dalphond writes.

Changes introduced by the 2014 Fair Elections Act that excluded the use of voter information cards as identification failed more than 172,700 Canadians by denying them of their right to vote. In the 2015 federal election, 49,600 Canadian citizens went to a polling station but were denied the right to vote due to a lack of two accepted pieces of identification. Another 123,100 stated that they did not make it to the polling station because they believed they could not meet existing identification requirements. Time had come to correct this unacceptable situation — not out of mere kindness, but because every Canadian has a constitutional right to vote. Bill C-76, which became law this month, redresses the situation in time for the next federal general election, scheduled to take place on or before Oct. 21, 2019. The new law increases access to the ballot. Among other things, it reinstates the voter information card, mailed out to those on the voters list, as an accepted piece of identification at the polling station. Thus, one government-issued ID to establish identity plus the information card to establish residence would be enough to allow a person, whose name is on the voters list, to vote. Fanning the flames of populism and baseless fears, some have said that 400,000, one million or even 1.2 million cards sent by Elections Canada in 2015 contained errors. From there, it took no time for the talk of potential widespread voter fraud to pervade the discussion on the use of the cards. If the argument is believed, recognizing these cards as proof of address not only leads to voter fraud, but undermines confidence in the electoral process, given the availability of numerous other forms of identification.

Every Canadian has a constitutional right to vote.

It is true that most electors hold a driver’s licence, which can serve to establish both their identity and address. It is also true that at 2015 election, 93 per cent of voters were able to present a government-issued card with their photo, name and current address. Why, then, one might ask, should the information card be added to the list of accepted pieces of identification? The measure is meant to help the approximately four million citizens who do not possess a driver’s licence, the most common ID displaying name, photo and address. It’s also aimed at Canadians who may lack a fixed address or autonomy over aspects of daily living the rest of us often take for granted. For example, utility bills and bank statements may be mailed to only one member of a couple. Moreover, in my opinion, the voter information card is as reliable, perhaps more so, than utility bills, bank statements, credit card statements and the like that are already accepted as proof of address. Finally, the fact that about four per cent of information cards may contain errors, in the spelling of an elector’s name, for example, cannot seriously be raised as a reason to deny the voting right of Canadian citizens. What is critical is that the individual who shows up at the polling station is the one who appears on the voters list. For that purpose, a valid government-issued ID with a photo is sufficient, such as a health care card. Since the health card does not show an address, the information card should be allowed to complete the identification process. That is what Bill C-76 stands for, and rightly so in my view. Although there remains work to be done to ensure Canadian elections remain free from any abuse, especially from foreign entities, it does not — and should not — obviate the good Bill C-76 does in facilitating Canadians’ exercise of their right to vote.