Elections Canada’s head announced that voters will need to write in their choice in an upcoming byelection in a Montreal suburb due to the high number of protest candidates running in the area. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault informed a group of MPs that the write-in option was successful in the past when the Longest Ballot Committee flooded a riding with numerous candidates.
A total of 48 candidates have been confirmed for the Terrebonne byelection, one of three scheduled for April. The Longest Ballot Committee has organized multiple candidates in various electoral contests over the last five years, with approximately 200 candidates participating in a recent Alberta byelection in August.
In previous instances, Elections Canada printed exceptionally long ballots to accommodate the large number of candidates, resulting in lengthy counting processes and delayed results. Perrault stated that using a write-in ballot, as done in August, was a preferable alternative to handling an extensive candidate list.
Voters in Terrebonne will receive a complete candidate list at their polling station and will be required to write in the name of their preferred candidate, emphasizing that just indicating a party preference will not be valid. Minor spelling errors on the ballot will not invalidate the vote as long as the voter’s intent is clear.
The organizers behind the long ballot protests advocate for a citizens’ assembly to oversee electoral reform, expressing dissatisfaction with political parties’ reluctance to make the government more reflective of the electorate. Despite calls for changes to nomination rules by a House committee, the Longest Ballot Committee remains resolute in their efforts.
The Terrebonne byelection was ordered following a Supreme Court decision necessitating a redo due to misprints on mail-in ballot envelopes that led to some votes being discounted. Alongside the Terrebonne vote, byelections are also set for Toronto ridings of University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest, vacated by former Liberal cabinet ministers. The Liberal party stands to secure a slight majority in the House of Commons if successful in two out of the three contests.
The byelections are scheduled for April 13, with advance polls open from April 3 to April 6.
