[homeles_ot-l] "Fair Elections Act" and implications for voters without identification

[Sanita Fejzic]

Please take me off the list.
Thank you,

Sanita Fejzic


On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 3:15 PM, Mike Bulthuis <mike at endhomelessnessottawa.ca
> wrote:

> FYI: As identified in this morning's *Ottawa Citizen* editorial<http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorials/Conservatives+Elections+Canada/9467629/story.html>,
> there are concerns that the proposed federal "Fair Elections Act" will have
> a limiting effect on the ability of persons who are homeless (or otherwise
> without government-issued identification) to vote. For more, I'm sharing a
> Press Release from our community partners at the London Homeless Coalition.
>
>
>
>
>
> *'Fair Elections Act' Press Release*
>
> London Homeless Coalition, February 4, 2014
>
> 'Fair Elections Act' Will Disenfranchise Those Experiencing Homelessness
>
>
>
> Today the Conservative Government introduced the 'Fair Elections Act'
> which provides for a number of electoral reforms.  The London Homeless
> Coalition is extremely concerned regarding the elimination of the
> 'vouching' process whereby a registered voter could vouch for another who
> lacks government issued identification.  Unfortunately, many who experience
> homelessness are victims of theft or misplaced personal effects and find
> themselves without identification.  Those who deliver street level services
> put significant energies into vouching for their homeless clients during
> elections to ensure that the electoral process is open to all Canadians. It
> is the opinion of the London Homeless Coalition that this new Act will mean
> that many who have the right to vote as Canadian citizens will not be
> afforded the opportunity to do so, and that this disenfranchisement will
> fall disproportionately on those experiencing homelessness. We urge the
> Conservative Government to reconsider this provision in the Act.
>
>
>
> http://londonhomeless.ca/fair-elections-act-press-release/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mike Bulthuis
>
> Executive Director
>
> Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa
>
> 171 George Street, Ottawa ON K1N 5W5
>
> 613-241-1573, ext. 314
>
>
>
> PLEASE ADD OUR ADDRESS,
> homeles_ot-l at list.web.net
> to your email contact list.
>
> THEN email your homelessness and housing messages to that address to reach
> the full list or to reply to a posting.
>
> This list is not moderated; there is no editorial review.
>
> Please try to keep messages to 200KB or less, including attachments, so
> that all subscribers are able to receive them.
>
> The listserv does not permit Blind copy, BCC addresses or the use of too
> many Send To addresses. The best thing is to email to this list on its own.
>
> The Alliance to End Homelessness does not verify the accuracy of submitted
> messages nor necessarily endorse the opinions expressed by message authors.
> Message authors are solely responsible for content of their messages.
>
>


-- 
Sanita
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20140211/6d2d3069/attachment.html>