Canadian elections how does it work

The position was created in and was originally restricted to ensuring that the rules concerning election financing and expenses were enforced. In , the Commissioner's responsibilities were extended to cover all provisions of the Canada Elections Act.

In , the law was amended so that the Commissioner would no longer be appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer, and would be relocated from within Elections Canada to within the Office of the DPP.

The Commissioner receives complaints from the public and from Elections Canada. For example, Elections Canada's political financing directorate may report potential offences under the Act that are identified during audits of the parties', candidates' or others' financial returns. In consultation with the political parties represented in the House of Commons, the Chief Electoral Officer appoints a Broadcasting Arbitrator, who allocates both paid air time provided by broadcasters and free air time provided by network operators to political parties during a general election and free time to referendum committees during a referendum.

Broadcasting time is allocated according to a formula set out in the Canada Elections Act. The Broadcasting Arbitrator also arbitrates time-allocation disputes between political parties and broadcasters or network operators.

Resource Centre. Role, Mission and Goals The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, also called Elections Canada, is an independent agency set up by Parliament to administer all aspects of federal general elections, by-elections and referendums.

The Chief Electoral Officer's current responsibilities include: making sure that all electors have access to the electoral process through public education and information programs as well as accessible physical facilities maintaining the National Register of Electors providing technical, financial and administrative support to the independent commissions that periodically readjust electoral district boundaries registering political parties, their electoral district associations, party leadership contestants and third parties administering the legislated controls on the financing sources and election expenses of candidates, nomination contestants, party leadership contestants, registered parties, registered electoral district associations and third parties engaged in election advertising, and examining and disclosing their financial reports, including posting them on the Elections Canada website at www.

Renan Levine, an American political scientist teaching at the University of Toronto, says things like wait times can impact on voter turnout. He describes voting as a "low-cost, low-reward" behaviour - by that, he means it's usually a pretty easy thing for most people to do, but it's not all that fun. Tilting the scale in either direction - either by upping the cost of voting i. In Canada, early voting has been widespread for years.

During the last election, in October , nearly five million Canadians voted in advanced polls. Meanwhile, mail-in ballots can be counted so long as they are received by Elections Canada by 20 September.

Even though it's his field of study, he says that as a Canadian, he was shocked by the lengths leaders would go to to keep others from voting.

People have cited as examples of voter suppression things like a law in Georgia that makes it illegal to give people waiting in line to vote food or water within a certain distance of polling sites. Georgia Republicans say that rule is to stop election interference. While it is illegal to campaign outside a polling station in Canada, passing out snacks or water is completely fine.

In , the Conservatives introduced the Fair Elections Act that barred Elections Canada from encouraging people to vote - it was only allowed to inform people how and when to vote and eliminated the vouching system, which let voters with proper identification vouch for the identities of others in the same polling location.

At the time, the chief electoral officer expressed concern this would disenfranchise voters, and opposition parties accused the Conservatives of voter suppression. Many of the act's provisions were repealed when the Liberals came into power.

Not only are the lines long in America, but the ballots are long too. When it comes time to vote for president, Americans often also vote for their member of Congress, senator, local officials, and items put to referendum. In one Vermont town, even the dogcatcher is an elected official. During a federal election, Canadians typically only vote for their member of parliament. You can also request to vote at home if you cannot go to a polling station or mark your ballot due to a disability.

You can also request to access voting assistant tools like:. For accessibility accommodations visit the Accessible Voting page or you can call or TTY to ensure your assigned polling station meets your needs. When the election is announced, Elections Canada creates lists of voters using information from the National Register of Electors.

The National Register of Electors is a database of Canadians who are qualified to vote. A few weeks before the election, Elections Canada will send you a Voter Information Card if your name is on the voters lists.

The card will tell you that you are registered, and where and when to vote. It also has information about the date and location of advance polls.

You can also do this by mail as well as in person , either at your local Elections Canada office up to 6 days before election day or at your polling station on the day you go to vote. Elections Canada receives their data from different sources in order to compile their voter lists and errors can happen sometimes. If you receive a voter card:. You must call Elections Canada at to report the error or to be removed from the list. It is illegal to vote under false information and you could be subject to penalties if you do.

To vote in the federal election, you must prove your identity and address. You have three options:. If you are not on the National Register of Electors and did not receive a Voter Information Card, and you want to add your name to the list, you will have to fill out a Registration Certificate. You can do this in person at the polls as well as by completing it online, printing it out and bringing it with you when you go to vote.

Once your returning officer authorizes the certificate and you prove your identity and address using one of the options described above, you will be able to vote.

In a federal election, you are voting for the prime minister of Canada but you do this indirectly by voting for your local Member of Parliament MP. Local MPs belong to a political party so when you vote for them you also support the leader of that party at the federal level. The leader of the political party that gets the most "candidates" or MPs elected across the country becomes prime minister of Canada.

In Canada, unlike other political systems, you do not vote for the prime minister directly. You will be asked to cast your vote based on the MP that will represent your riding in the House of Commons of Canada. Each MP is considered one seat and the House of Commons is made up of a total of seats.

Ontario is represented by MPs. Prime minister A constitutional monarchy, Canada is also a parliamentary democracy in which the chief executive is the prime minister. Majority In a first-past-the-post election, split across six time zones, a party might not win an absolute majority of seats in the House of Commons. Confidence of the House In order to govern in a minority situation, the government must have the "confidence of the House.

The current balance Since Canada's founding in , Liberals and Conservatives have alternated in power. World Why Canada's Justin Trudeau is falling behind in polls less than a week before elections Canadians go to the polls on 20 September in an election that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called two years early.

World Canada federal election: PM Justin Trudeau's Liberals will win polls, say TV projections Trudeau gambled on an early election in a bid to win a majority of seats in Parliament, but it was not clear if he would do so.