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Terminology often varies with jurisdiction. To facilitate
reference to the original legislation, in most cases the tables in this document
use the style of the jurisdiction. The following is a brief explanation of
equivalent terms.
Chief Electoral Officer
The appointed official who oversees the administration of
elections is known as the Chief Electoral Officer everywhere but in
Ontario, where he or she is the Chief Election Officer.
Electoral district
For electoral purposes, every jurisdiction is divided into
geographic units, each of which elects one member to the legislative body.
In Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta, these geographic units are known as electoral
divisions, and in Saskatchewan, as constituencies. In Canada and
in all other provinces and the territories, they are electoral districts.
Informally, they are often called ridings.
Enumeration
This is the process by which electors are registered during
an electoral period (known as confirmation of electors in
Prince Edward Island).
Legislative Assembly
The legislative body to which members are elected in Canada
is Parliament, or more specifically, the House of Commons.
It is the Legislative Assembly in all provinces and territories, except
for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, where it is the House of Assembly,
and Quebec, where it is the National Assembly.
List of electors
To ensure the integrity of the vote, electors in all jurisdictions
must be registered on a list before they may cast a ballot. There is a list
for every polling division, and electors' names are crossed off as they vote.
This is called the list of electors everywhere except in Manitoba
and Saskatchewan, where it is the voters list.
Local association
Political parties may have local associations in electoral
districts where they are active. In Canada and Nova Scotia, such a local
political unit is called an electoral district association, and in
New Brunswick, a district association. In Quebec, it is a party
authority, while in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British
Columbia, it is a constituency association. Prince Edward Island and
Yukon make no reference to such associations in their electoral legislation,
and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut do not recognize political parties.
Official agent (candidate)
Candidates in all jurisdictions must appoint a person to
look after financial and administrative matters related to the campaign.
In most cases, this person is known as the candidate's official agent.
In Newfoundland, Ontario and Alberta, it is the chief financial officer;
in Saskatchewan, the business manager, and in British Columbia, the
financial agent.
Official agent (political party)
A similar, but ongoing function (not limited to campaign
periods) is served for political parties by each party's chief agent
in Canada and New Brunswick; its chief financial officer in Newfoundland,
Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta; its official agent in Prince Edward
Island, Nova Scotia and Quebec; its chief official agent in Saskatchewan;
and its financial agent in British Columbia. In its electoral legislation,
Yukon refers to officials of a party, whereas the Northwest Territories
and Nunavut do not recognize political parties.
Polling day
Election day, the last day of the electoral period and the
main day designated for taking the votes of electors, is known as polling
day everywhere but in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, where it
is ordinary polling day, and in British Columbia, where it is general
voting day.
Polling division
For voting purposes, each electoral district is divided
into smaller units, each of which is organized to take the votes of the electors
who live within its boundaries. These units are most commonly known as polling
divisions. In Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta, they are polling subdivisions,
and in British Columbia, they are voting areas.
Polling station
Each polling division has one or more locations where electors
cast their ballots. These are polling stations everywhere but in Ontario,
Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where they are known as polling places,
and British Columbia, where they are voting stations.
Returning officer
The appointed official who oversees the administration
of elections and referendums in each electoral district, under the direction
of the Chief Electoral Officer, is known as the returning officer
everywhere but in British Columbia, where the title is district electoral
officer.
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