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Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada Following the March 19, 2012, By-election Held in Toronto–Danforth and the November 26, 2012, By-elections Held in Calgary Centre, Durham and Victoria

Appendix



Table 1 – Types of polling sites 1
Type of facility Ordinary poll 2 Advance poll
Number Percentage (%) Number Percentage (%)
Toronto–Danforth
Apartment building 4 9.3 0 0
Church hall 6 14.0 3 33.3
Community centre 5 11.6 1 11.1
Educational facility 15 34.9 2 22.2
Municipal or township hall 1 2.3 1 11.1
Royal Canadian Legion 1 2.3 0 0
Seniors' residence 10 23.3 1 11.1
Other 1 2.3 1 11.1
Total 43 100 9 100
Calgary Centre
Apartment building 4 12.5 0 0
Church hall 5 15.6 0 0
Community centre 10 31.3 2 66.7
Educational facility 10 31.3 1 33.3
Seniors' residence 3 9.4 0 0
Total 32 100 3 100
Durham
Church hall 13 18.8 3 42.9
Community centre 18 26.1 3 42.9
Educational facility 29 42.0 0 0
Municipal or township hall 1 1.4 0 0
Recreation centre 1 1.4 1 14.3
Seniors' residence 6 8.7 0 0
Other 1 1.4 0 0
Total 69 100 7 100
Victoria
Church hall 7 24.1 4 23.5
Commercial site 1 3.4 1 5.9
Community centre 3 10.3 4 23.5
Educational facility 13 44.8 6 35.3
Recreation centre 1 3.4 0 0
Royal Canadian Legion 1 3.4 1 5.9
Seniors' residence 1 3.4 1 5.9
Other 2 6.9 0 0
Total 29 100 17 100

1 Because the percentages have been rounded, there may be some discrepancies in the totals.

2 Excludes mobile polls.



Table 2 – Types of polling stations
Electoral district Ordinary polls Advance polls Total
Stationary Mobile    
Toronto–Danforth 184 0 10 194
Calgary Centre 236 12 11 259
Durham 218 2 14 234
Victoria 220 17 17 254



Table 3 – Types of polling sites used in the 2012 by-elections and 41st general election
Electoral district Ordinary polling sites Mobile polling sites
2012
by-election
41st general election 2012
by-election
41st general election
Toronto–Danforth 43 41 0 0
Calgary Centre 32 35 29 18
Durham 69 66 7 5
Victoria 29 27 46 44



Table 4 – Adaptations made during the 2012 by-elections pursuant to section 17 of the Canada Elections Act
Statutory provision(s) adapted Explanatory notes
Sections 22, 135, 283 Purpose: Allowed returning officers to hire additional election officers where necessary to effectively conduct an advance poll. This adaptation was made in the by-election of March 19 as well as in the by-elections of November 26, 2012.

Explanation: Provisions of the Act dealing with staffing levels at advance polls and on polling day have not been amended to deal with the additional and more complex tasks that election officers must carry out. These tasks result from the new voter identification requirements as well as the need to transmit data about electors who have voted to candidates' representatives periodically during the day. As well, more and more electors are voting on advance polling days, but the Act provides for fewer personnel on these days and requires more formalities for voters to complete.

Adaptation: Authorized the returning officers to appoint additional persons to carry out functions under the Act, including counting the ballots, if required.
Section 124 Purpose: Permitted additional central poll supervisors not resident in the electoral district to perform tasks as part of the on-site conformity advisor initiative. This adaptation was made only for the by-elections of November 26, 2012.

Explanation: It was found that during the 41st general election, administrative irregularities occurred at the polls in Etobicoke Centre. Given the serious impact that these irregularities could have on the confidence of the public in the integrity of the electoral process, an on-site conformity advisor initiative was devised for the by-elections of November 26, 2012. The advisors would monitor the electoral operations and record-keeping practices of election officers to prevent irregularities and better understand the problems that arise. Individuals with a superior understanding of electoral processes were required to carry out the initiative as additional central poll supervisors, even if they did not reside in the electoral districts, as is normally required for this type of election officer.

Adaptation: Authorized qualified electors to be appointed as additional central poll supervisors to supervise proceedings at the advance polls and on polling day.



Table 5 – Instructions issued by the Chief Electoral Officer during the 2012 by-elections pursuant to section 179 of the Special Voting Rules as Adapted for the Purposes of a By-election
Statutory provision(s) Explanatory notes
Section 233 (new adaptation for the purposes of a by-election; previously made in a general election) Purpose: Extended to electors voting by special ballot the rules regarding proof of residence applicable to electors voting at the advance polls or on polling day who have no civic address.

Explanation: Subsection 143(3.1) of the Act provides that if the address contained in the piece or pieces of identification provided by an elector at an advance poll or on polling day does not prove the elector's residence, but is consistent with the information relating to the elector appearing on the list of electors, the elector's residence is deemed to have been proven. The Act does not contain a similar provision for electors who wish to vote by special ballot, but it sometimes happens that electors residing in rural or remote areas have no civic address by which to prove their address or that such a residential address is not contained in their pieces of identification.

Adaptation: The adaptation by instruction gives electors who wish to vote by special ballot the same flexibility in proving their place of residence as is given to electors who vote at the advance polls or on polling day.
Section 237 (new adaptation for the purposes of a by-election; previously made in a general election) Purpose: Allowed a returning officer to issue a second special ballot kit, with the prior approval of the Special Voting Rules Administrator, to an elector who swears under oath that he or she did not receive a special ballot issued by the local Elections Canada office.

Explanation: The Act does not allow for a returning officer to issue a second special ballot voting kit to an elector.

Adaptation: The adaptation by instruction was required in order to allow an elector to exercise his or her right to vote by special ballot.
Sections 246, 247 (adaptation made in a previous election) Purpose: Extended the statutory process for voting under the SVR in provincial correctional institutions to federal correctional institutions.

Explanation: Because the Act formerly prohibited voting by incarcerated electors in federal institutions, it does not describe a process whereby such electors can vote.

Adaptation: Since the 2002 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Sauvé struck down the prohibition, the Act has had to be adapted in every federal election to extend the statutory process for voting in provincial correctional institutions to federal correctional institutions.
Section 276 (new adaptation for the purposes of a by-election; previously made in a general election) Purpose: Allowed certain ballots to be counted that had not been placed in an outer envelope.

Explanation: Electors voting under the SVR sometimes do so before the ballots are printed. In this case, they use a blank ballot, writing on them the name of the candidate for whom they are voting. They then place their ballot in an outer envelope. When they vote at a local Elections Canada office, the envelope and the ballot it contains are then put into the ballot box.

Once the ballots are printed, individuals voting under the SVR at a local Elections Canada office use a printed ballot instead of a blank one. They must still place their ballot in the outer envelope, which is then dropped into the ballot box.

Election officials administering this type of vote sometimes forget that even when regular ballots are used, voting under the SVR requires that voters place their ballot in the outer envelope before dropping it in the ballot box, and they can give voters the wrong instructions.

Adaptation: The adaptation by instruction provides that in this type of circumstance, if certain conditions are met and subject to the agreement of the Special Voting Rules Administrator, the ballots may be counted.



Table 6 – Lists of electors: revision transactions during the by-elections
Electoral district Toronto–Danforth Calgary Centre Durham Victoria
Electors on preliminary lists, including SVR 74,612 90,663 94,137 88,083
Moves between electoral districts1 678 1,922 1,116 2,645
Electors added2 562 4,631 1,659 2,847
Moves within an electoral district3 334 862 911 1,993
Other corrections4 895 835 572 587
Electors removed from lists5 739 2,629 1,200 2,640
SVR Group 1 updates6 -2 -5 -2 7
Electors on final lists7 75,111 94,582 95,710 90,942

1 Electors who moved into the electoral district from another electoral district before the beginning of the revision period but were not included in the last release from the Register before the by-elections were called.

2 Electors who did not appear on any lists at the beginning of the by-elections and were added during the events.

3 Electors who appeared on a list for their electoral district at the beginning of the by-elections but at the wrong address. These figures also include administrative changes that the returning officers made to elector records during the by-elections.

4 Electors who appeared on a list of electors with the correct address and requested a correction to their name or mailing address during the by-elections.

5 Electors who appeared on a list of electors but were removed for one of the following reasons: they had died; they asked to be removed; they had moved; they were not qualified to be on the list (for example, because they were under 18 years of age or not citizens); they had a duplicate record on the list. This figure also reflects elector records removed because the electors had moved to another electoral district during the by-elections and duplicates removed when the final lists of electors were being prepared.

6 Indicates the increase or decrease in the number of Group 1 electors registered under the SVR (Canadian electors temporarily residing outside Canada, Canadian Forces electors and incarcerated electors) during the by-elections.

7 The number of electors on the final lists is the sum of electors on the preliminary lists, moves between electoral districts, electors added, and SVR Group 1 updates, minus electors removed from lists.


Table 7 – Special Voting Rules ballots for the 2012 by-elections
  Election day Electoral district Ballots issued Valid ballots Rejected ballots Ballots cast Ballots returned on time1 Ballots received late
Group 1 (Canadian Forces, international, incarcerated) March 19, 2012 Toronto–Danforth 88 29 0 29 33.0% 1
November 26, 2012 Calgary Centre 234 39 2 41 17.5% 2
Durham 148 17 0 17 11.5% 1
Victoria 509 71 1 72 14.1% 12
Subtotals     979 156 3 159 16.2% 16
Group 2 (local 2 and national 3) March 19, 2012 Toronto–Danforth 504 491 7 498 98.8% 2
November 26, 2012 Calgary Centre 558 546 0 546 97.8% 1
Durham 514 493 1 494 96.1% 5
Victoria 715 697 1 698 97.6% 7
Subtotals     2,291 2,227 9 2,236 97.6% 15
Totals     3,270 2,383 12 2,395 73.2% 31

1 Percentage of ballots cast by ballots issued.

2 Electors whose applications were processed and whose ballots were counted by local Elections Canada offices. This includes electors who registered to vote in acute care facilities. The number of local ballots received late is not available.

3 Electors whose applications were processed and whose ballots were counted by Elections Canada in Ottawa.


Table 8 – Number of ballots cast, by voting method, and voter turnout1
Electoral district Toronto–Danforth Calgary Centre Durham Victoria
Number of electors on final lists 75,111 94,582 95,710 90,942
Ordinary polls2 27,077 24,478 28,782 32,611
83.4% 88.3% 84.2% 83.3%
Advance polls 4,865 2,667 4,890 5,749
15.0% 9.6% 14.3% 14.7%
Voting by special ballot
(under the SVR)
527 587 511 770
1.6% 2.1% 1.5% 2.0%
Rejected ballots 150 92 115 98
0.5% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%
Total valid ballots 32,319 27,640 34,068 39,032
99.5% 99.7% 99.7% 99.7%
Total votes cast 32,469 27,732 34,183 39,130
Voter turnout in 2012
by-elections
43.2% 29.3% 35.7% 43.0%
Voter turnout in previous
general election (May 2011)
65.0% 55.3% 63.2% 67.5%

1 The percentages have been rounded.

2 Includes electors who voted at mobile polls.


Table 9 – Valid votes obtained, by candidate
Candidate and affiliation Place of residence Occupation Valid votes obtained Percentage of valid votes (%) 1
Toronto–Danforth
Craig Scott
New Democratic Party
Toronto Law professor 19,210 59.4
Grant Gordon
Liberal Party of Canada
Toronto Advertising executive 9,215 28.5
Andrew Keyes
Conservative Party of Canada
North York Consultant 1,736 5.4
Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu
Green Party of Canada
Toronto Community organizer 1,517 4.7
Dorian Baxter
Progressive Canadian Party
Newmarket Anglican clergyman 208 0.6
John Christopher Recker
Libertarian Party of Canada
Toronto Halfway house case manager 133 0.4
Leslie Bory
Independent
Waterford Machinist 77 0.2
Christopher Robert Porter
Canadian Action Party
Victoria, BC Sales manager 75 0.2
John C. Turmel
Independent
Brantford Banking systems engineer 57 0.2
Brian Jedan
United Party of Canada
Toronto Media consultant 55 0.2
Bahman Yazdanfar
Independent
Toronto Business consultant 36 0.1
Calgary Centre
Joan Crockatt
Conservative Party of Canada
Calgary Journalist 10,191 36.9
Harvey Locke
Liberal Party of Canada
Banff Conservationist 9,033 32.7
Chris Turner
Green Party of Canada
Calgary Writer 7,090 25.7
Dan Meades
New Democratic Party
Calgary Poverty reduction advocate 1,064 3.8
Antoni Grochowski
Independent
Calgary Architect 141 0.5
Tony Prashad
Libertarian Party of Canada
Calgary Calgary Transit employee 121 0.4
Durham
Erin O'Toole
Conservative Party of Canada
Courtice Lawyer 17,280 50.7
Larry O'Connor
New Democratic Party
Minden Retired 8,946 26.3
Grant Humes
Liberal Party of Canada
Bowmanville Retired businessman 5,887 17.3
Virginia Ervin
Green Party of Canada
Hampton Field technician 1,386 4.1
Andrew Moriarity
Christian Heritage Party of Canada
Bowmanville Student 437 1.3
Michael Nicula
Online Party of Canada
Toronto IT entrepreneur 132 0.4
Victoria
Murray Rankin
New Democratic Party
Victoria Lawyer 14,507 37.2
Donald Galloway
Green Party of Canada
Victoria Professor 13,389 34.3
Dale Gann
Conservative Party of Canada
Victoria High technology executive 5,654 14.5
Paul Summerville
Liberal Party of Canada
Victoria Adjunct professor 5,097 13.1
Art Lowe
Libertarian Party of Canada
Victoria Property manager 193 0.5
Philip G. Ney
Christian Heritage Party of Canada
Sooke Physician 192 0.5

1 The percentages have been rounded.