Site MenuAdvisory Committee of Political Parties – Meeting Summary – February 13 and 14, 2019
8. Voter Information Card
Presenter: Susan Torosian (Executive Director, Policy & Public Affairs)
Ms. Torosian briefed party representatives of changes to the design and status of the Voter Information Card (VIC). She briefed ACPP members that the Voter Information Card will be authorized as a piece of identification for the next general election in accordance with changes brought by Bill C-76.
Ms. Torosian briefed ACPP members on the text and design changes of the VIC for the 43rd General Election compared to the 42nd General Election. She briefed members that the VIC’s content was reviewed based on online survey testing and in-person interviews conducted by Environics. Two VIC mock-ups were tested and performed similarly well in communicating key messages to electors.
The session concluded with a question and answer period with ACPP members. Elections Canada staff answered questions about:
- The benefits of authorizing the VIC as a piece of identification;
- Which other jurisdictions authorize Voter Information Cards as a piece of identification (all provinces and territories requiring proof of identity and address authorize the Voter Information Card as a piece of identification);
- Elections Canada’s process for determining Canadian citizenship to registering new Canadians as electors;
- Elections Canada’s process for removing deceased Canadian citizens living abroad; and
- The processes in place for mitigating the risk of ineligible individuals attempting to vote using the VIC, including whether voters could vote using only the VIC as a piece of identification (voters cannot cast a ballot with just the VIC, they require at least one other piece of identification).