Backgrounders

Accessibility of the Electoral System

A federal electoral event is a major undertaking, with strict requirements for precision, security, confidentiality and accessibility. The Canadian electoral system has long been recognized as a model for other countries. Over the years, it has undergone many changes, making voting as accessible as possible to all electors.

Continuing improvements in access

Elections Canada has worked to remove the obstacles electors may encounter at the polls by making constant improvements to administrative practices. Additional recommendations have been made by parliamentary committees that have reviewed the Canada Elections Act over the years. Since 1992, several amendments to the legislation have produced services that are better adapted to the needs of the Canadian electorate, particularly persons with disabilities.

• There are now three ways to vote: by special ballot, at an advance poll or on polling day.
  
  
• Electors can now register at the advance polls, as well as on polling day.
  
  
• The polls are open on polling day for 12 hours.
  
  
• The special ballot, through the use of a unique system of envelopes that protects the secrecy of the vote, allows Canadians to vote by mail or in person at their local Elections Canada office. While all electors can use the special ballot, it is particularly useful to persons with disabilities who would have difficulty reaching a polling station (see the Elections Canada backgrounder Voting by Special Ballot for details of special ballot voting procedures and deadlines).
  
  
• Access to Government of Canada buildings to set up polling stations is guaranteed.
  
  
• If an elector's polling station is moved to another location after the voter information card giving the polling station address has been sent, the elector who arrives at the original polling station on election day may request a certificate to vote at that polling station.
  
  
• All revision offices, all polling stations and all other premises used during an electoral event must have level access. Under exceptional local circumstances, the returning officer may seek specific authorization from the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada to use a polling station that lacks level access. Accessibility is indicated on the voter information card, which is sent to every registered elector shortly after the issue of the writs.
  
  
•   Elections Canada has modified buildings and offices used during electoral events everywhere in Canada to ensure level access.
  
  
• "Permitted personal expenses" for a candidate with a disability or one who cares for a person with a disability now include expenses directly related to that disability.
  
  
• Before an election or referendum, Elections Canada provides training for all returning officers across the country on accessibility and awareness of special needs.
  
  
• Public education and information programs have been put in place to make the referendum and electoral processes better known to the public, particularly those persons and groups most likely to experience difficulty in exercising their democratic rights.

Additional services provided by Elections Canada for persons with special needs

Elections Canada offers information, education and accessibility services to persons with special needs, seniors and those with limited reading and writing skills. Material is available in multiple formats: large print, Braille, DVD and CD.

• information, e-mail access and special ballot registration forms available at www.elections.ca
  
  
• a page on the Elections Canada Web site dedicated to information for voters with special needs
  
  
• a toll-free information line for people who are deaf or hard of hearing: TTY 1-800-361-8935 (toll-free in Canada and the United States)
  
  
• documents written specifically for persons with disabilities and/or special needs, including reading difficulties
  
  
• a sign-language DVD with open- and closed-captioning for people who are deaf or hard of hearing
  
  
• a voting template for persons with visual disabilities
  
  
• a large-print list of candidates
  
  
• language or sign-language interpreter services on request
  
  
• help with registration at the advance polls and on polling day
  
  
• transfer certificates on election day to permit persons who use wheelchairs or who have other physical disabilities to vote at facilities that provide level access if, in exceptional cases, their own polling sites do not provide such access
  
  
• assistance, at the voter's request, in marking the ballot at the advance polls, the polling station or the local Elections Canada office
  
  
• transportation of the ballot box from room to room to facilitate voting in hospitals and certain residential institutions
  
  
• mobile polling stations for certain institutions (as specified in the Canada Elections Act) where seniors or persons with disabilities reside
  
  
• voting at home in the presence of an electoral officer and a witness, for electors who are registered for a special ballot and who cannot go to the local Elections Canada office and who cannot mark the ballot due to a disability

Between electoral events, staff at Elections Canada in Ottawa provide ongoing information and education services. During an election or referendum, Elections Canada in Ottawa answers requests for information or directs them to the appropriate local Elections Canada office.

For more information, please contact:

Elections Canada
257 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0M6

Telephone

1-800-463-6868
toll-free in Canada and the United States

001-800-514-6868
toll-free in Mexico

613-993-2975
from anywhere in the world

For people who are deaf or hard of hearing:
TTY 1-800-361-8935
toll-free in Canada and the United States

Fax

613-954-8584
1-888-524-1444
toll-free in Canada and the United States

This publication is available in multiple formats.

July 2008