Thank you, Madam Chair. Residency requirements, in order to better accommodate the lifestyles of residents of the NWT the enumeration procedures was modified for the last election. It was held well in advance at a time when the most people would be in their communities, rather than on the land, or away on their holidays.
While this change was very effective developing more comprehensive electors list, the first time around there was some complications. There were some problems for those who moved between enumeration, and polling day, and who failed to register during the revision. While can people can register to vote on polling day, they can only do so in the riding where they lived during enumeration. This left some people unable to vote. This was an unintentional side effect of another change and one which needs to be rectified.
The Chief Electoral Officer had proposed an amendment to address this situation. However, the Committee had strong concerns about the implications of the proposed amendment. While the amendment would solve one problem, Members saw it creating others. There is the potential for it to become another way to circumvent the enumeration process and be open to abuse in the same way which proxies have been in the past.
Members were also concerned about enumeration and subsequent voting rights of the students attending college in another part of the territory. During the last election, some students were enumerated while at school. They were unable to vote in their home riding in the fall. The committee believes these students should be able to vote in their home riding. With the recommendations regarding special ballot voting, it will be possible for students who are away to vote at home. Accommodation for these students would have to found in the enumeration process.
While the committee understands the issue raised by the Chief Electoral Officer, Members are not willing to close one loophole only to open others. Members would like to consider an amendment which would address all the issues relating to the extended period of time between enumeration and the polling day.
Recommendation 7
I move that this committee recommends that the amendments of the NWT Elections Act be developed to ... arising from the extended period of time between enumeration and polling day.