In this section
Subject matter
- Entry on the list of electors and changes to the entry
- Days, times and options for voting
- Poll organization, including recruitment of election officers
General objective
Reconciling the accessibility, integrity and viability of voting processes while preserving the confidence of electors.
Background
Over the past 20 years, several amendments have been made to the Election Act to make voting easier and more accessible.
To vote, electors must be entered on the list of electors. This step is automatic, unless a person does not want to be entered.
Voting mainly takes place in person. Electors have eight days to vote, including election day and the two advance polling days.
Certain special voting options are set out for those who find it difficult to exercise their vote for health or distance reasons.
Challenges
According to the surveys we conduct following provincial general elections, a large majority of Québec electors are satisfied with their voting experience. Nevertheless:
- Access to voting is still difficult for certain people (e.g., unavailability on voting days, difficulty in getting to polling places, incorrect entry on the list of electors, etc.).
- More and more electors are taking advantage of advance polling, before the end of the election campaign. This shift in voting raises questions about the organization, information and symbolism of voting day.
- Organizing the elections poses growing challenges: it is increasingly difficult to recruit the employees and find the premises required to hold an election.
Recommendations
We make eight legislative amendment recommendations related to the exercise of the right to vote. In addition, we will pursue or undertake two complementary actions that do not require amendments to the Election Act.
Electors’ vote
Enhance the entry on and the revision of the list of electors
- Enable electors to enter or modify their entry on the list of electors at advance polls and on election day.
An entry and amendment service would be offered at polling places, like the one offered at the offices of returning officers and in educational institutions. Electors who are not correctly entered could use this service before exercising their right to vote. A computerized list of electors would make it possible to offer this service. - Offer a complete online revision service, remotely and in person.
In the longer term, we want to enable electors to enter or amend their entry online at any time. During an election period, computer stations would be available in the offices of returning officers; electors could use them if they do not have access to the necessary equipment or if they need assistance.
Facilitate the exercise of the vote by making it smoother and more flexible
- Enable electors to present themselves at the first available polling table.
The polling proceedings would run more smoothly if electors no longer had to wait for a specific polling table to become available. Certain technologies would facilitate the implementation of this model, such as a computerized list of electors and electronic ballot boxes to count paper ballots. This solution would also alleviate some of the challenges associated with recruiting election officers. - Offer a wider choice of polling locations.
We want to be able to set up polling stations in busy public places. Electors would be able to enter on the list of electors, amend their entry and vote, even if they are outside their electoral division.
Complementary action by Élections Québec: continuing work on Internet voting.
Promote the importance of the vote and how to exercise it
- Review the content in the information documents intended for electors if the entry becomes possible up to election day.
We would like to be able to modify the content of documents forwarded to electors as well as their number. For example, if electors can be entered on the list of electors up to election day, we could send out a single, timely mailing that would include all of the information about advance polling and election day.
Organizing elections
Promoting fairness between political parties and facilitating the organization of elections
- Hold by-elections on fixed dates.
By-elections would be held on a fixed date twice a year, in spring and fall. No by-elections would be held in the year preceding a general election.
Facilitating the recruitment of election officers
- Allow for the hiring of permanent residents to work in elections.
Permanent residents could hold certain positions among election officers, under the same conditions as citizens aged 16 and over. In addition to broadening the recruitment pool, this would enable future electors to familiarize themselves with the electoral process. - Entrust the recruitment of election officers entirely to returning officers.
The political parties represented in the Assemblée nationale no longer recommend enough election officers to fill the thousands of positions for deputy returning officers and poll clerks. Returning officers should be fully responsible for impartially recruiting election officers as soon as the order instituting the election is issued. Political parties could submit names, but their proposals would no longer be given priority.
Complementary action by Élections Québec: enhancing the role of election officers.