Letter from Elections Canada

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Just to let you know that I just received an “Elections Canada” letter from someone that I knew in Canada that forwarded and sent it to me in the mail here in the USA.

I don’t understand why Elections Canada would send me such now (lol..and marked on the envelope "personal" too), as I had already informed Revenue Canada with my final tax return, and Passport Canada with my current passport applicaiton (of my married last name and of the fact that I live in the USA now). Maybe it’s because of my recent Canadian passport application that triggered something in their computer system for such? Lol…and co-incidentally, the form is dated the same day as when I applied for my new Canadian passport on…hmmm….

Basically, the form that I got in the mail was a “National Register of Electors Verification Notice”, saying that I should update my information with Elections Canada, so that I can be registered to vote in Canada. It has my old maiden last name on it, which I don’t use, and my last Canadian address, which I don’t live at anymore, as I am here as a Permanent Resident in the USA.

According to the form, it says: “If you do not confirm your information within 60 days of receipt, the Chief Electoral Officer is authorized to remove your name from the National Register of Electors”.

If I am allowed such as a Canadian Citizen, I would like to vote in Canadian elections via “absentee ballot” from here in the USA. However, I don’t think that I meet Election Canada’s rules and regulations for such, as I’ve read about it before online. And I don’t think that they are changing their rules anytime soon about this non-resident voting issue either.

So, what should I do? Should I send them the completed and updated form, updating them of my married name and US residency, so that I can be on the “voter’s list”, even though I might not be eligible to vote there? Or should I just ignore it, and let them just “take me off the voter’s list”, as I have no plans of returning to Canada to live there again?

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Ant (Elections Canada Puzzled.... )

Edited February 27, 2009 by AntandD

[Emancipation 2]

Gov. entities don't talk to each other.. that's what I'd take from it.. no worries.

If it was me.. I can't say truthfully that i'll be back so I'd just let it go and let them take me off the list..

[Kathryn41 3,205]

If you are permanently living in the US and have no anticipated date of return to the US you are not eligible to vote in Canadian elections anymore. Send the form back to them advising them you do not have a date of return to Canada and are no longer eligible to vote - or just let it expire and they will remove you from the voter's list. Don't worry too much about it, just help them update the voter's list. It would be great if we could vote still but since we don't reside in Canada we don't have a 'representative' for whom to vote. Canadians don't vote directly for the PM -it would take a change in the parliamentary system in Canada for us to be able to do so.

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for reading my post and for replying to it. Here are my replies to you all too:

Emancipation-Lol...hmm...if government entities don't talk to each other, then why is it that I would apply for a passport one day, and a letter from elections Canada would be dated on the same day? Maybe it is their "computers" that talk to each other? Either way, like you, I'm not worried too much about it, though I just want to make sure I do the right thing, that's all. I agree with you in saying that since I'm not going back, I'd just let them take me off the list instead...

Kathryn41-That's interesting that you would mention that if I have no anticipated date to return to Canada, then I am no longer eligible to vote there anymore. I guess since the Canadian parlimentary system is set up in a certain way by "representation by residency", then technically I lost that right by not being a resident anymore. Ahh..now it make sense that why Americans can vote while away, while Canadians can't, as you mentioned that Americans vote directly "without residency". And chances are, these similar changes won't happen anytime soon in Canada (lol...I think we would have to get rid of the "Consitutional Monarchy System" for that to happen). Sigh...Oh well, I'll just have to wait another few years before I can vote here in the USA. Meanwhile, I'll just let them take me off the Voter's List in Canada instead (and maybe write or call them about the update), and see what happens there....

Ant (Still waiting to vote again....)

Gov. entities don't talk to each other.. that's what I'd take from it.. no worries.

If it was me.. I can't say truthfully that i'll be back so I'd just let it go and let them take me off the list..

If you are permanently living in the US and have no anticipated date of return to the US you are not eligible to vote in Canadian elections anymore. Send the form back to them advising them you do not have a date of return to Canada and are no longer eligible to vote - or just let it expire and they will remove you from the voter's list. Don't worry too much about it, just help them update the voter's list. It would be great if we could vote still but since we don't reside in Canada we don't have a 'representative' for whom to vote. Canadians don't vote directly for the PM -it would take a change in the parliamentary system in Canada for us to be able to do so.