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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
In the upcoming territorial election, NWT voters will have to adhere to new, stricter identification rules if they want to cast a ballot.

Voters will have to adhere to stricter identification rules in the upcoming territorial election. Janet Kanayok, mayor of Ulukhaktok, said the rules will just be another barrier in the way of people getting out to vote. - photo courtesy of Nigel Fearon

The new guidelines, outlined in the 2010 Elections and Plebiscites Act, are meant to bring the territory's rules more in line with federal election rules, according to David Brock, chief electoral officer of the NWT.

"Northerners take part in federal elections," he said," So it wouldn't be a major leap to use a similar system."

In the past, residents could vote as long as the deputy returning officer at the polling station knew them, or was satisfied that they were in fact who they said they were.

Brock said this practice, although common place in the communities, led to rumours that ineligible voters were casting ballots. He added there were no formal complaints about the practice, or proof that it was abused, but said it was a cause for concern.

"Even if that wasn't the case, it potentially could be the case," he said.

Janet Kanayok, mayor of Ulukhaktok, said the stricter identification rules will mean fewer people will have the means to vote.

Many people don't have driver's licences or general identification cards, she said, and also don't have secondary IDs.

"I think it's going to be a problem here once the election starts," she said.

According to the new rules, voters can also produce two pieces of secondary ID to prove their identification and residency. The list is expansive and includes things such as library cards, fishing licences, bank statements, income support statements, student cards and letters from shelters and elders homes.

As a third option, voters can have an eligible voter from the same voting station vouch for them by swearing an oath.

Kanayok said that in a town the size of Ulukhaktok, these rules are just another barrier to getting out and voting.

"Everybody knows everybody. Everyone knows who everyone is," she said.

"I can see it being a problem with people maybe being offended they're going to have to show ID to people that already know them."

Brock said they tried to make the secondary ID list as expansive as possible, recognizing that not everyone has a driver's licence or general identification card.

"We want to get a ballot in the hands of every eligible elector," he said. "This is not intended to be a barrier."

To be eligible to vote in the upcoming territorial election, you must be a Canadian citizen 18 years or older, and have lived in the territory for a minimum of 12 months. Students studying elsewhere in Canada, who call the NWT home, are also eligible to vote.

In the 2007 territorial election, 67 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

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