As advocacy groups and academics debate the low youth voter turnout at past elections, politicians and students are questioning the Fair Elections Act and whether or not it truly is fair.
This federal election, the Fair Elections Act requires that voters prove both their identity and their address, while specifically prohibiting the voter information card as proof of residence.
The bill eliminates the usage of the voter information card, which most receive in the mail, as a way to verify proof of address.
In the last federal election, an Elections Canada pilot program saw 200,000 students and seniors use the card as ID. For students, who often move multiple times a year, maintaining proof of address is often difficult and expensive and many simply keep their parents’ home as their address.
“The Fair Elections Act makes it harder and less likely for people to vote,” says Adam Vaughan, former Toronto city councillor and member of parliament for Spadina-Fort York.
“Anytime the Tories call a bill a name such as Fair Elections Act or the Anti-terrorism Act, we can be assured that it will do the exact opposite of its title,” he says.
“The bill also targets youth by prohibiting Elections Canada from encouraging youth to vote,” says Bilan Arte the national chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students.
The CFS has a long and positive relationship with Elections Canada and has partnered with them to engage in research and programs to increase youth participation in the past, she says.
“The government has perpetuated a myth of dishonest voters when the electoral law-breaking seems to come almost exclusively from candidates,” says Arte.
“The last federal election was decided by 6,201 votes. Every vote counts and I am concerned for students who will be denied their rights to participate and choose their government,” she says.
Instead, a voter who has ID but can’t prove a current address, must sign an oath as proof of residence.
“Youth need to respond against the Bill at the ballot box, so make sure you have proper ID and make sure your vote counts,” adds Vaughan.
Sarah Tohamy, Contributor
Featured image courtesy of Wiki Commons.
