Millions of
Canadians are set to hit
the polls on October 19 to elect a new federal government, deciding whether
or not Stephen Harper and the incumbent Conservative Party will continue to
lead Canada for the next few years. Both the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the
Liberal Party of Canada represent significant threats to Stephen Harper, but
one issue that hasn't been discussed nearly enough is the lack of a modernized
election system in a highly developed country that is otherwise very
forward-thinking.
Indeed, while various
levels of voting automation have been implemented in such countries as Brazil
and India,
all federal elections in Canada up until now have relied solely on manual
voting. In an age that is far more digital than ever before, it is time for
Canada to reconsider how it runs its elections.
Whereas the
specific voting practices in the United States are determined at the state or
even more local level, such is not the case in Canada. Instead, a set of
standards are dictated by the Canada Elections Act. This allows for uniformity
across the nation, but it also means that change can be very slow.
More test
projects have been attempted in smaller elections in Canada, like in the city
of Saskatoon, but not real progress has been made in having greater voting
technology fully adopted at the federal level. As it stands, most voters must
make a physical appearance at a designated voting place, fill out a paper
ballot, and submit the paper ballot to one of the electoral staff. The ballots
may be counted electronically, but they are still paper ballots.
The availability
of physical polling places is important; but they should be updated and
upgraded with better technology to speed up the process, allow no human errors,
fewer spoiled ballots, greater security, greater efficiency and improved voter
turnout. The advantages of electronic voting cannot be understated, including
the flexibility to include more candidates in complex elections and better
access for voters with disabilities.
Another option
that should be considered alongside e-voting machines at polling places is the
possibility of Internet-based voting. Canada can look to the positive examples
set by countries like Estonia for this purpose, offering great security and
authentication throughout the i-voting process. The youth vote could increase
and modern voters would appreciate the greater convenience.
There are
questions whether or not the current Conservative government in Canada is
holding back the evolution and deployment of online voting. The primary
demographic who support the Conservative Party in Canada tend to be more
traditional in their sociopolitical views and they tend to skew toward older
people. By contrast, supporters of the NDP and Liberal parties are more
progressive in mindset and tend to skew toward the younger demographic,
precisely the group that i-voting and e-voting would appeal to.
It would be
impossible for the Canadian government to make any real changes to the election
in October. However, particularly if a new party is elected, progressive change
in Canada's electoral process should be highly encouraged in time for the next
federal election. Canada needs to move into the 21st century in this
regard.
