EAIElectoral Access Index

This section establishes statutory procedure for appointment and removal of returning officers by the Chief Electoral Officer, including enumerated grounds for removal (subsection 7) and a fair process requirement. However, the section does not address the independence of the Chief Electoral Officer itself—the body making these appointments. It does not codify appointment by multiple branches, fixed terms, or balanced political composition of the electoral administration leadership. The criterion asks about the *election administration body's* independence broadly, not merely the procedural fairness of officer selection.

“The Chief Electoral Officer shall appoint a returning officer for each electoral district in accordance with the process established under subsection (1.1) and may only remove him or her in accordance with the procedure established under that subsection.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section 6 of the Canada Elections Act is a statutory provision, not a constitutional one. It references 'qualified as an elector' but delegates the actual definition of eligibility (age and residency requirements) to other provisions within the Act itself (primarily sections 2-5, which are also statute, not constitution). The criterion explicitly asks whether requirements are set in the constitution; this section sets them only in statute.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section CEA s. 477.44 addresses prohibitions on who can serve as official agents and auditors for candidates, not voter disqualification criteria or restoration procedures. This section contains no language governing voter eligibility, disqualification grounds (felony, mental incompetence), duration of disqualification, or any restoration mechanism. The criterion requires codification of voter disqualification and restoration procedure; this section governs campaign finance roles and is entirely off-topic.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section addresses the distribution of election materials to administrators and officers after writs are issued. It contains no provisions regarding restoration of voting rights, procedures for rights restoration, statutory deadlines, or automatic restoration mechanisms. The section is procedurally clear within its own scope but is entirely unrelated to the ELIG.3 criterion, which concerns restoration of lost voting rights (e.g., post-felony).

The section establishes a statutory requirement that electors prove identity and residence before receiving a ballot, grounding the ID requirement in statute (the Canada Elections Act itself) rather than regulation or administrative discretion. The requirement is set forth in legislative text with mandatory language ('shall prove'), and the applicable standards are cross-referenced to another statutory section (143), maintaining statutory rather than regulatory control over the procedure.

“If an elector goes to the office of a returning officer to receive his or her ballot or special ballot, then before receiving it the elector shall prove his or her identity and residence in accordance with section 143.”

The section statutorily enumerates the acceptable forms of identification for military electors: either one Canadian Forces-issued photo ID with name and service number, or two pieces of identification of types authorized under section 211.3. While the section cross-references section 211.3 for the second category, it is delegated to statute (not discretion), providing clear enumeration of acceptable ID forms rather than leaving the determination to officer judgment.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section governs candidate financial disclosures and gift restrictions during election campaigns—it has no bearing on voter identification procedures or requirements. The criterion ID.3 concerns whether free alternative government-issued ID is available to voters who lack identification; this statute addresses neither voter ID requirements nor the provision of identification documents to voters.

This section establishes in statute a solemn declaration as a cure mechanism for voters who cannot prove identity or residence at the polls. The declaration form is prescribed by statute and enumerated with specific required statements (residence, age, citizenship, no prior voting). This provides a clear, statutory-grounded procedure for voters arriving without ID to complete their ballot at the polling station.

“the solemn declaration by which an elector proves his or her identity and residence, proves his or her residence only, proves that he or she is qualified as an elector or proves that he or she has not previously voted at the election shall be in the prescribed form, which shall include the statements that (a) the elector resides at the address at which he or she claims to reside; (b) the elector is 18 years of age or older or will be 18 years of age or older on polling day; (c) the elector is a Canadian citizen; and (d) the elector has not previously voted in the election”

The statute explicitly provides an appeal procedure for an elector who disputes the identity/residence requirement: the elector may appeal to the returning officer, who shall consult with the election officer and issue a decision with binding effect (directing the elector be allowed to vote if entitled). The appeal path and decision-maker are statutorily enumerated, not left to administrative discretion.

“If an elector refuses to make a solemn declaration on the ground that he or she is not required to do so under this Act, the elector may appeal to the returning officer. If, after consultation with the election officer in whose opinion the elector is required to make the solemn declaration, the returning officer decides that the elector is not required to make it, and if the elector is entitled to vote in the polling division, the returning officer shall direct that he or she be allowed to do so.”

The statute explicitly defines the registration (revision) cutoff as 6:00 p.m. on the 6th day before polling day. This timing is set directly in the statutory text, not delegated to regulation or administrative discretion, and is enumerated with specific time and numerical precision.

“The revision period shall terminate at 6:00 p.m. on the 6th day before polling day.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section addresses data privacy restrictions on the Register of Electors, not registration methods. It does not enumerate, describe, or establish any registration procedures or pathways (in-person, mail, online, motor-voter, automatic, or same-day). The criterion requires exhaustive enumeration of available registration methods in statute; this section contains no such enumeration.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section 18 addresses public education and information programs and accessibility of electoral information to persons with disabilities. It does not define any cure procedure for incomplete voter registration. The section is entirely concerned with the Chief Electoral Officer's authority to disseminate information about electoral processes, not with procedures for correcting or curing deficient registration applications.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section defines 'litigation expense' for leadership contestants in the context of campaign finance under Part 18. It does not address voter registration, rejection, or any challenge procedure for voters whose registration is rejected or removed. The criterion asks whether a voter's right to challenge a rejected or removed registration is codified in statute; this section is entirely outside that domain and provides no relevant procedural framework.

Section 101(4) sets out exhaustively in statute the criteria for voter roll removal: request with proof of identity, death, invalid information, and change of address. These grounds are enumerated and binding, not delegated to regulation or administrative discretion. The criteria meet the ordinal threshold of 'statute' (score 1); while the Constitution Act does not explicitly mandate roll maintenance, the statutory grounding here is clear and comprehensive.

“The returning officer or assistant returning officer may delete the name of a person from a preliminary list of electors if (a) the person requests it and provides satisfactory proof of identity; (b) it is established that the elector is deceased; (c) it is established that the information provided in respect of the elector is not valid; or (d) it is established that the elector no longer resides at the address indicated on the list.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section 77 addresses postponement of elections following the death of a nominated candidate and establishes procedures for rescheduling nominations and polling. It does not address voter roll maintenance, purges, or any notice-and-cure procedures for voters at risk of removal from the electoral lists. The section is entirely inapplicable to REG.6, which concerns pre-purge voter notification.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section 45 governs the distribution and format of voter lists to MPs and registered parties, specifying what information must be included and how it is arranged. It contains no provisions regarding data security, encryption requirements, breach notification procedures, or access logging for the voter registry. The procedural clarity required by the criterion — statutory codification of security measures — is entirely absent from this section.

Section 95(3) requires the notice to invite electors to request language interpreters, establishing a statutory procedure for electors to signal language needs. However, the section does not codify any population threshold, trigger formula, or enumerated list of languages for which assistance must be provided—it merely invites contact without defining when the returning officer must actually provide assistance or in which languages. The duty to provide is not statutory; only the duty to invite contact is.

“The notice of confirmation of registration shall invite the elector to contact the returning officer if he or she (a) requires a language or sign language interpreter”

The statute explicitly codifies the right to assistance for voters with disabilities unable to read or vote due to disability, and statutorily specifies that the assisting witness must be 'chosen by the elector,' giving the voter control over who assists them. The specific forms of assistance (completing declarations, marking ballots) are enumerated in the statute itself.

The section codifies assistance for voters unable to read in statute, with a clear triggering condition (request by elector), designated responsible party (election officer at polling station), enumerated procedural requirement (presence of another election officer), and explicit safeguard for ballot secrecy (assistance rendered in presence of witness officer). Both the requirement and its procedural constraints are statutorily grounded and unambiguous.

“On request by an elector who is unable to read or because of a disability is unable to vote in the manner described by this Act, an election officer who is assigned to the polling station shall assist the elector in the presence of another election officer who is assigned to the polling station.”

The statute explicitly sets opening time at 9:00 a.m. and closing time at 9:00 p.m. for advance polling stations. These times are prescribed in statute (CEA s. 175(1) and (2)), not left to local administrative discretion. The hours are enumerated and mandatory ("shall"), satisfying the procedural-clarity requirement.

“At the opening of an advance polling station at 9:00 a.m., an election officer who is assigned to the advance polling station shall, in full view of the candidates or their representatives who are present, (a) on the 1st day of advance polling, (i) open the ballot box and ascertain that it is empty, (ii) seal the ballot box with the seals provided by the Chief Electoral Officer, and (iii) place the ballot box on a table in full view of all present and keep it there until the close of the advance polling station on that day; and (b) on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th days of advance polling, place the ballot box on a table in full view of all present and keep it there until the close of the advance polling station on that day. Close of advance polling station (2) At the close of an advance polling station at 9:00 p.m. on each of the four days of advance polling”

Section 213 establishes statutory procedures for the mechanics of voting on a special ballot (writing the name, sealing envelopes) and provides a cure mechanism for spoiled ballots (subsection 4). However, the section addresses only the in-person exercise of the special ballot; it does not codify the full mail-in procedure, including application requirements, application deadlines, return deadlines, signature verification protocols, or comprehensive cure procedures for rejected ballots. The statute delegates essential procedural elements to regulation or administrative discretion rather than enumerating them exhaustively.

“If the special ballot is incapable of being used, the elector shall return it to the unit election officer, who shall mark it as a spoiled ballot and give the elector another special ballot.”

This section establishes statutory eligibility for absentee voting by members of the Canadian Forces, satisfying the statutory grounding requirement. However, it does not enumerate the framework elements required by the criterion: it does not specify application procedures, return mechanisms, or treatment rules for absentee ballots. The section merely identifies *who* is eligible, not *how* absentee voting operates. A complete framework codification would require statutory detail on deadlines, application methods, ballot transmission, security, and counting procedures.

“Any of the following persons is entitled to vote under this Division if he or she is qualified as an elector under section 3: (a) a member of the regular force of the Canadian Forces; (b) a member of the reserve force of the Canadian Forces; and (c) a member of the special force of the Canadian Forces.”

This section statutorily establishes the early voting period (advance polls) and mandates that returning officers must provide notice of advance polling district boundaries and advance polling station locations by a fixed statutory deadline (Saturday, 16 days before polling day). The requirement to establish advance polling districts and their locations is grounded directly in statute, with enumerated procedural obligations (notice content, timing, distribution to candidates and the Chief Electoral Officer, and map provision).

“Each returning officer shall, not later than Saturday, the 16th day before polling day, (a) give a notice, in the prescribed form, in the electoral district of the advance poll, that sets out the following information: (i) the numbers of the polling divisions in every advance polling district established by the returning officer, (ii) the location of each advance polling station”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: CEA s. 140 governs the opening and sealing of in-person polling station ballot boxes at the start of voting, not drop-box procedures. It specifies ballot-box handling for traditional polling stations but does not address drop-box placement, security, or chain-of-custody procedures, which are the subject of the criterion.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section 491.1 is an enforcement provision that lists criminal offences related to electoral conduct (ballot secrecy, vouching violations, interference with marking). It does not address provisional ballots, their right to cast them, or any adjudication procedure for provisional ballots. The section concerns criminal penalties, not voter eligibility or ballot procedures.