Victoria – BC’s Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman has submitted a report to the Legislative Assembly recommending changes to the Election Act.
The report highlights two priority recommendations for legislators to consider:
1. Improve the vote-by-mail process
2. Update ballot adjudication criteria for write-in ballots
The reports stems from Elections BC’s experience administering the 2020 Provincial General Election, which saw a record number of mail-in ballots.
The recommendations to improve the vote-by-mail process include expanding the locations where voters can drop-off their completed vote-by-mail package, and letting voters correct their vote-by-mail package if they make a mistake completing it.
The report also recommends allowing voters to write the name of a party leader on a write-in ballot, even if the party leader is not running in the voter’s electoral district. Currently, voters must mark their write-in ballot with the name of a candidate running in their electoral district or the name of a political party that has endorsed a candidate in their district. This recommendation would treat the name of a party leader as equivalent to the name of their party.
The report contains technical recommendations in addition to the priority recommendations above. It also includes an addendum to the Chief Electoral Officer’s 2020 recommendations report on cyber threats to electoral integrity.
Link to full report:
· Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on Recommendations for Legislative Change – May 2022
The report and its recommendations are summarized in the attached backgrounder. If adopted by the Legislative Assembly, these recommendations would help strengthen the accessibility, efficiency, and integrity of B.C.’s democratic process.
