Recently a series of reports have surfaced raising allegations of voter-suppression tactics being used leading up to the May 2011 federal election. These include automated “robocalls,” as well as non-automated calls from call centres that provided voters with erroneous information about the location of polls, among other things.
The right to vote is a fundamental democratic right, protected in the Charter. The provisions in the Elections Act that restrict misleading and obstructive behaviour with regard to the electoral process are designed to ensure that this fundamental democratic right is not tampered with and that all voters are able to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed democratic rights in a free and meaningful way. CCLA echoes the call for further investigation into these acts to ensure that the rights of voters are protected and defended in the face of allegations of egregious abuse.
To read about CCLA’s recent intervention in a voting rights election case in Newfoundland click here.
