International Register of Electors

Summary

The International Register of Electors is a database of eligible electors for federal elections in Canada who reside outside Canada. It is maintained by Elections Canada,[1] which also maintains the National Register of Electors.

Voter registration

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A Canadian citizen who is resident outside the country may submit an application to Elections Canada either online, by fax, or by mail or courier service.[2] The applicant must be a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old on polling day.[3] The application must include the last residential address of the applicant before departing Canada, and proof of identity.[2]

Once the application is approved, the elector will be added to the International Register of Electors and become eligible to vote for elections in the electoral district of their last Canadian address.[4] The individual is notified by Elections Canada about inclusion in the register.[5]: 26 

Before 2019, eligibility expired for expatriate Canadians once they resided outside the country more than five years.[6] With the grant of royal assent to the Elections Modernization Act of 2019, this condition was eliminated, and any citizen living abroad more than five years were also qualified to cast ballots.[6]

Voting

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When an election is called, those entered into the International Register of Electors will be sent a voting kit for that election that contains a ballot, voting instructions, a prepaid return envelope to the Elections Canada Ottawa office, an outer (electoral riding) envelope, and an inner (voting) envelope.[2][7]: 35  Elections Canada does not maintain offices outside Canada, and voting kits and polling stations are not available at embassies, consulates, or high commissions.[2][8]

The completed ballot is enclosed in the blank inner envelope, which is then sealed and enclosed in the outer envelope on which is printed the elector's name and electoral riding.[2] This is sealed and signed, then enclosed within the prepaid return envelope.[2] The purpose of this system is to ensure vote secrecy.[7]: 35  The elector must ensure the ballot arrives at Elections Canada Ottawa office by the stated date.[2] Late ballots, and those with unsigned declarations (on the outer voting envelope), will not be counted.

Legacy

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In 2015, there were 44,843 individuals recorded in the International Register of Electors.[9] In 2019, there were 83,774.[1]: Section 1.5  of which 34,144 cast a ballot in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[7]: 36  In comparison with other government services, 235,686 Canadian citizens declared being abroad to Global Affairs Canada in 2019, and about 240,000 passports and travel documents are issued to Canadian citizens abroad annually. A 2022 Statistics Canada report estimated the Canadian diaspora of citizens living abroad (including children) at 4 million in 2016, or 12.6% of the population.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Bérard-Chagnon, Julien; Canon, Lorena (13 April 2022). "The Canadian diaspora: Estimating the number of Canadian citizens who live abroad". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Szeto, Winston (28 August 2021). "How to vote in the federal election while living abroad". CBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  3. ^ Bloomfield, Tyler (16 August 2021). "All the ways you can vote in the 2021 federal election". CBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  4. ^ Hardy, Justin (18 August 2021). "Voting rules for electors living outside of Canada". BayToday. Village Media. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  5. ^ Aman, Adhy; Bakken, Mette (2021). Out-of-country voting: learning from practice. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. ISBN 9789176713570.
  6. ^ a b Leiser, Matthew (16 September 2019). "List of countries where Canadian expats live disclosed for security reasons". Radio Canada International. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Lott, John R. (9 August 2020). "Why do most countries ban mail-in ballots?: they have seen massive vote fraud problems". SSRN. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3666259. SSRN 3666259. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  8. ^ Szeto, Winston (8 September 2021). "Canadians living abroad have the right to vote. Here's why". CBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  9. ^ Lim, Jolson (11 October 2019). "Registered voters abroad near 45K, almost triple from 2015". iPolitics. Retrieved 21 April 2024.

Further reading

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  • "Frank v. Canada (Attorney General)". Supreme Court of Canada. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  • Duncan, Fraser (2020). "Residency and the Right to Vote under Section 3 of the Charter, 2020". Saskatchewan Law Review. 83 (2). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  • Lum, Zi-Ann (11 January 2019). "Long-term expats have constitutional right to vote in Canada's elections, Supreme Court rules". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
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  • Voting in an election while outside Canada
  • Registration and voting processes for Canadians who live abroad at Elections Canada
  • Voting rules for electors living outside of Canada at Elections Canada