Site MenuReport of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada following the May 12, 2003, and the June 16, 2003, by-elections
Revising the lists of electors
Elections Canada used the new REVISE system to prepare and update the preliminary lists of electors for the three by-elections. Version 2.0 of REVISE offers a more complete range of functions facilitating management of the revision and improving the quality of the electoral data gathered by the revising agents. First, the system now processes changes of address on a national scale because we have added the ability to electronically "deliver," from one electoral district to another, removal transactions resulting from a change of address. As well, the supplementary data integrated into the National Register of Electors after the preliminary lists have been prepared are now forwarded electronically to the REVISE database in each electoral district. Finally, four essential steps that were previously separate and manual have now been automated as the result of a complete reworking of the revision process. These four steps are now accessible from REVISE:
- searching for electors in the local list of electors
- searching for electors outside the electoral district
- address ranges in the poll key
- entry of electors' data
The data on the addresses of polling sites is now integrated into the REVISE database and shared with ROPS. Streamlining the management of electoral data in this way made it possible to eliminate one system, the functions of which will now be shared between ROPS and REVISE. We took full advantage of these three by-elections to observe the performance and user-friendliness of the new systems in the field and to make further improvements.
The returning officers recorded 5,652 additions to the lists of electors, 1,485 transfers from another electoral district, 7,882 moves within the electoral districts, 3,857 removals and 3,729 corrections, counting those individuals voting by special ballot who were added to the lists. This represents 9.8% of the 229,754 electors registered on the preliminary lists.
During the three by-elections, we continued a targeted revision pilot project begun during the December 2002 by-elections. The information received from the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) indicated that 3,630 potential electors in the three electoral districts had given their consent to be included in the Register. To confirm their citizenship before adding them to the Register, we contacted them, either by mail or through revising agents sent to their residences. We were able to add 32% of the names received from CCRA to the Register.
Of the 22,620 revisions carried out during the by-elections in the three electoral districts, including the revisions affecting electors voting by special ballot, 20,076 occurred during the revision period. The remaining 2,544 were registrations and corrections on election day. Table 3 shows details of the revision transactions.
| Revision transactions1 | Day 33 to Day 11 | Day 10 to Day 6 | Election day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary lists 67,865 |
Revised lists 69,650 |
Official lists 69,876 |
|
| Additions | 2,218 | 2,452 | 3,108 |
| Transfers in | 337 | 364 | 467 |
| Transfers out | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corrections | 1,482 | 1,508 | 1,740 |
| Removals | 772 | 807 | 1,067 |
| Moves | 2,333 | 2,417 | 3,234 |
| SVR update | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 7,144 | 7,550 | 9,618 |
| Final lists 70,375 |
| Revision transactions1 | Day 33 to Day 11 | Day 10 to Day 6 | Election day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary lists 100,961 |
Revised lists 100,942 |
Official lists 100,955 |
|
| Additions | 1,077 | 1,115 | 1,191 |
| Transfers in | 781 | 788 | 793 |
| Transfers out | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corrections | 1,178 | 1,220 | 1,240 |
| Removals | 1,885 | 1,917 | 1,917 |
| Moves | 2,076 | 2,088 | 2,126 |
| SVR update | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Total | 7,005 | 7,136 | 7,275 |
| Final lists 101,036 |
| Revision transactions1 | Day 33 to Day 11 | Day 10 to Day 6 | Election day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary lists 60,928 |
Revised lists 61,476 |
Official lists 61,496 |
|
| Additions | 1,149 | 1,221 | 1,353 |
| Transfers in | 195 | 209 | 225 |
| Transfers out | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corrections | 643 | 715 | 749 |
| Removals | 800 | 867 | 873 |
| Moves | 2,192 | 2,373 | 2,522 |
| SVR update | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 4,983 | 5,390 | 5,727 |
| Final lists 61,638 |
* Information printed in burgundy throughout this report pertains to the May 12, 2003, by-election in Perth–Middlesex.
1 Includes electors registered to vote under the Special Voting Rules (members of the Canadian Forces, incarcerated electors, electors temporarily residing outside Canada).