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Survey of Electors Following the 42nd General Election

5. Registration

Electors were largely satisfied with the voting registration processes. A large majority received their VICs that showed accurate name and address information, which was also the main source that voters consulted to verify whether they were registered to vote. Those respondents who were not registered to vote largely registered at the polling station on election day prior to casting their ballot, while a minority took advantage of the Online Voter Registration Service.

5.1 Receipt and Accuracy of Voter Information Card

Nine-tenths (90%) of respondents indicated that they had received a VIC showing both when and where to vote that was addressed to them personally. Differences were observed for Aboriginal electors and younger adults (Figure 5.1). The percentage of electors who received a VIC remains almost unchanged since the 2011 (91%) and 2008 (89%) federal general elections. As detailed in Figure 5.1 below, some demographic subgroups were less likely to recall receiving a VIC.

Figure 5.1: Reception of the Voter Information Card

Figure 5.1: Reception of the Voter Information Card
Text description of "Reception of the Voter Information Card"

Base: Electors aware of the 42nd election.

  • Aboriginal Electors: Aboriginal electors were significantly less likely to have received a VIC addressed to them than non-Aboriginal electors (82%, compared with 92%).
  • Age: Young adults (aged 18 to 34) were also significantly less likely than adults aged 35 or older to say that they received their VIC (79%, versus 93%), which may be a function of young adults being more likely to change addresses than older adults; a larger percentage of young adults have moved over the past year (18%) than older adults (5%).
  • Region: A smaller proportion of electors living in the Territories reported having received a VIC addressed to them (75%) than electors living in other provinces (90%).
  • Voting Behaviour: Respondents who did not vote were significantly less likely to report having received their VIC (68%) than respondents who voted (92%).

Of those respondents who did receive a voter information card, almost all (97%) indicated that the name was correct. A similar number of respondents stated that their VIC showed the correct address (98%). Among respondents who received a VIC with either an incorrect name or address (or both), just over half (51%) took action to correct the error. The most popular way to correct the mistake was to do so at the poll when they voted. Only six respondents called the phone number indicated on their voter information card.Footnote 13 The proportion of electors who said that information regarding their name and address on the VIC was accurate is unchanged since the 2008 post-election survey results.

Of those respondents who voted, nearly nine-tenths (89%) of them brought their VIC to the polling location. There are no significant differences among subgroups (Figure 5.2). This proportion reflects an increase over both the 2011 and 2008 general elections, where eighty-three percent (83%) of voters brought their VIC to the polling location.

Figure 5.2: Proportion of Electors who Brought their Voter Information Card to the Poll

Figure 5.2: Proportion of Electors who Brought their Voter Information Card to the Poll
Text description of "Proportion of Electors who Brought their Voter Information Card to the Poll"

Base: Electors who received a VIC.

5.2 Method of Registration

Only a small percentage (3%) of respondents had to register during the election. Of these respondents, more than half (58%) indicated that they registered on polling day. Others registered on an advance polling day or used the Online Voter Registration Service on the Elections Canada website.Footnote 14

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents indicated that they found out about whether they were registered to vote from their VIC (Table 5.1). A number of respondents (17%) stated that they did nothing to verify their registration.

Table 5.1: Method of Confirming Registration Status
Q27: What did you do to find out whether you were registered to vote in this election? Total
(n=2,795)
Learned from my voter information card 65%
Did nothing 17%
Consulted Elections Canada's website 6%
Found out at polling station/local Elections Canada office 4%
Used Online Voter Registration Service on Elections Canada's website 3%
Knew from past experience 2%
Had registered through tax forms 1%
Called 1-800 number of Elections Canada 1%
Learned from revising agent who was at my home 1%
Other 4%
Don't know/Refusal 1%

Note: Percentages may sum to more than 100%, since multiple responses were accepted.

Base: Electors aware of the 42nd election.

  • Aboriginal Electors: Aboriginal electors were less likely to have learned about their registration status from their VIC than non-Aboriginal electors (47%, compared with 68%). This is not surprising, given that they were also less likely than non-Aboriginal electors to receive their VIC.
  • Age: Young adults (aged 18 to 34) were less likely to have learned about their registration status from their VIC than adults aged 35 or older (47%, compared with 71%). Again, this is not surprising given that they were less likely than older adults to receive their VIC. Young adults were also more likely to have registered on polling day (66%) than older adults (40%).
  • Region: Electors living in Québec were substantially more likely to report having learned about their registration status from their VIC (83%) than those in the rest of Canada (60%). Electors living in the Territories were more likely to answer that they found out whether they were registered at the polling station (21%, versus 4% for other provinces) and less likely to say that they found out from their VIC (41%, versus 65% for other provinces).
  • Voting Behaviour: Respondents who did not vote were less likely than voters to report having learned about their registration status from their VIC (40%, versus 68%) and more likely to report not having taken any action to verify their registration status (45%, versus 14%).

5.3 Use of Online Voter Registration Service

Of the 89 respondents who had said that they used the Online Voter Registration Service during the last election, just over one-quarter indicated that they used the service to check that their name and address were correctly written on the voters list. Updating their address on the voters list was also mentioned by approximately one-tenth of the respondents.Footnote 15

5.4 Satisfaction with Registration

Overall, respondents were satisfied (88%) with the registration method they used, with sixty-three percent (63%) being very satisfied, twenty-five percent (25%) being somewhat satisfied, four percent (4%) not very satisfied and six percent (6%) being not satisfied at all with the way in which they registered.Footnote 16

  • Aboriginal Electors: Aboriginal electors seems to be less likely to be very satisfied with the way in which they registered than non-Aboriginal electors (43%, compared with 60%). However, the overall satisfaction with the registration experience appears to be higher for Aboriginal respondents than non-Aboriginal respondents (93%, versus 85%).

Footnote 13 Due to small sample size (n=40), percentages have been omitted.

Footnote 14 Due to small sample size (n=90), percentages have been omitted.

Footnote 15 Due to small sample size (n=89), percentages have been omitted.

Footnote 16 Satisfaction by means of registration could not be analyzed due to an insufficient number of cases by categories.