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Report on the 42nd general election of October 19, 2015

Appendix: Tables

Table 1 – Number of workers hired
Position group Positions filled* (41st) Standby or additional (41st) Active in the election (41st) Positions filled* (42nd) Standby or additional (42nd) Active in the election (42nd)
Additional assistant returning officer (AARO) 128 0 128 171 0 171
Assistant automation coordinator 321 0 321 358 0 358
Assistant returning officer 308 0 308 338 0 338
Automation coordinator 316 0 316 361 0 361
Central poll supervisor 16,541 372 16,149 20,349 798 19,551
Community relations officer 863 0 863 1,201 0 1,201
Deputy returning officer (DRO) 79,049 5,374 73,675 110,847 21,348 89,499
Financial officer 358 0 358 399 0 399
Hospital liaison officer 98 0 98 78 0 78
Information officer 18,801 205 18,596 36,330 1,390 34,940
Interpreter – Aboriginal Elder and Youth Program 303 0 303 285 0 285
Interpreter, language 38 0 38 25 0 25
Inventory clerk (electoral material coordinator) 733 0 733 852 0 852
Judicial recount clerk (support staff at a recount) 202 0 202 0 0 0
Office clerk 8,280 0 8,280 5,502 0 5,502
Office coordinator 522 0 522 587 0 587
Office messenger 774 0 774 1,217 0 1,217
Poll clerk 74,803 365 74,438 98,276 19,225 79,051
Receptionist 1,223 0 1,223 1,678 0 1,678
Recruitment officer 701 0 701 526 0 526
Registration officer 17,551 754 16,797 31,031 1,627 29,404
Returning officer 308 0 308 338 0 338
Revising agent 8,535 0 8,535 8,141 0 8,141
Revision centre clerk 1,152 0 1,152 1,658 0 1,658
Revision supervisor 436 0 436 472 0 472
Special ballot coordinator (SBC) 2,058 0 2,058 2,420 0 2,420
Special messenger 461 0 461 524 0 524
Support staff for office of AARO 58 0 58 252 0 252
Training officer 705 0 705 814 0 814
Witness – validation of results 241 0 241 225 0 225
Assistant recruitment officer 0 0 0 570 0 570
Safety officer 0 0 0 182 0 182
Specific authorizations 0 0 0 1,825 0 1,825
Special Voting Rules Expansion (SVRE) – AARO 0 0 0 76 0 76
SVRE – DRO 0 0 0 45 0 45
SVRE – Information officer 0 0 0 99 0 99
SVRE – Poll clerk 0 0 0 42 0 42
SVRE – Revising agent 0 0 0 117 0 117
SVRE – Safety officer 0 0 0 41 0 41
SVRE – SBC 0 0 0 923 0 923
Total 235,867 7,090 228,777 328,951 44,388 284,563

*With the exception of the positions of returning officer and assistant returning officer, all figures indicate the total number of specific positions filled by election workers during the election period. In some cases, more than one individual was hired to perform a given task – for example, because of staff changes or job sharing. In addition, some workers filled more than one position.

Data as of December 24, 2015.

Table 2 – Confirmed candidates and final registered party election expenses limits
Political affiliation Confirmed candidates Final election expenses limit
Conservative Party of Canada 338 $54,936,320.15
Liberal Party of Canada 338 $54,936,320.15
New Democratic Party 338 $54,936,320.15
Green Party of Canada 336 $54,893,641.14
Bloc Québécois 78 $13,701,142.80
Libertarian Party of Canada 72 $12,124,700.22
Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada 70 $11,912,050.15
Christian Heritage Party of Canada 30 $4,898,239.42
Rhinoceros Party 27 $4,491,400.13
Communist Party of Canada 26 $4,329,275.03
Forces et Démocratie 17 $2,974,588.03
Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada 8 $1,395,378.69
Marijuana Party 8 $1,373,115.51
Progressive Canadian Party 8 $1,348,602.29
Pirate Party of Canada 5 $857,647.34
Democratic Advancement Party of Canada 4 $653,870.27
Canadian Action Party 3 $519,188.75
Alliance of the North 1 $187,385.42
United Party of Canada 1 $181,305.03
Seniors Party of Canada 1 $173,730.38
Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency 1 $159,274.38
The Bridge Party of Canada 1 $157,183.71
Canada Party 1 $119,542.99
Independent 74  
No affiliation 6  
Total 1,792 $281,260,222.13
Table 3 – Allocation of broadcasting time
Political party Paid time (min:sec) Free time* (min:sec)
CBC-TV
SRC-TV
Free time* (min:sec)
CBC Radio One
SRC Première chaîne
Free time* (min:sec)
TVA
V Télé
Conservative Party of Canada 107:00 58:30 33:00 17:00
New Democratic Party 78:30 43:00 24:00 12:30
Liberal Party of Canada 45:30 25:00 14:00 7:30
Green Party of Canada 20:30 11:00 6:30 3:30
Bloc Québécois 16:30 9:00 5:00 3:00
Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada 9:30 5:00 3:00 1:30
Christian Heritage Party of Canada 8:30 4:30 2:30 1:30
Libertarian Party of Canada 8:00 4:30 2:30 1:30
Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada 7:30 4:00 2:30 1:00
Canadian Action Party 7:30 4:00 2:30 1:00
Communist Party of Canada 7:30 4:00 2:30 1:00
Pirate Party of Canada 7:30 4:00 2:00 1:00
Progressive Canadian Party 7:30 4:00 2:00 1:00
Rhinoceros Party 7:30 4:00 2:00 1:00
Marijuana Party 7:00 4:00 2:00 1:00
Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency 7:00 4:00 2:00 1:00
United Party of Canada 7:00 4:00 2:00 1:00
The Bridge Party of Canada 6:00 3:30 2:00 1:00
Canada Party 6:00 3:30 2:00 1:00
Democratic Advancement Party of Canada 6:00 3:30 2:00 1:00
Forces et Démocratie 6:00 3:30 2:00 1:00
Seniors Party of Canada 6:00 3:30 2:00 1:00
Total (rounded) 390:00 214:00 120:00 62:00

*In the case of the CBC and SRC television and radio stations, the number of minutes shown applies to each station, English and French.

Source: Broadcasting Guidelines for the 42nd General Election, issued August 3, 2015.

Table 4 – Community relations officers, and Aboriginal Elders and youth hired for the 40th, 41st and 42nd general elections
Program Number of participants
40th general election
Number of participants
41st general election
Number of participants
42nd general election
Youth 200 230 230
Ethnocultural 143 129 132
Aboriginal 154 164 169
Homeless 32 40 117
Seniors N/A 300 314
Accessibility N/A N/A 233
Total 529 863 1,201
Aboriginal Elder and Youth Program
Elders 168 163 151
Youth 181 140 134
Total 349 303 285
Table 5 – Voter registration statistics for the 42nd general election
Province or territory Electors on preliminary lists Electors addedFootnote 1 Inter-ED address changesFootnote 2 Moves within EDFootnote 3 Other correctionsFootnote 4 Electors removedFootnote 5 SVR Group 1 updateFootnote 6 Electors on final listsFootnote 7
Canada 25,300,686 878,399 901,027 750,602 821,545 1,071,483 39,525 26,044,131
Newfoundland and Labrador 411,871 12,650 10,518 21,011 15,104 12,552 426 422,895
Prince Edward Island 108,943 5,959 3,776 4,348 9,086 4,458 119 114,330
Nova Scotia 723,544 25,851 25,810 28,276 58,509 30,176 1,303 746,221
New Brunswick 587,823 15,881 15,427 20,856 31,455 19,884 786 599,980
Quebec 6,340,616 101,230 214,013 215,007 214,574 255,297 8,169 6,408,054
Ontario 9,449,381 350,794 299,787 191,968 263,676 381,524 13,968 9,730,457
Manitoba 856,940 40,739 36,047 39,668 33,328 43,408 2,385 892,615
Saskatchewan 749,003 37,360 29,049 37,435 23,521 34,742 2,371 782,980
Alberta 2,732,899 135,839 136,609 100,547 67,522 151,682 4,302 2,857,610
British Columbia 3,267,483 146,648 127,213 85,754 102,460 134,810 5,268 3,411,107
Yukon 25,264 1,797 1,034 2,188 1,318 1,137 93 27,050
Northwest Territories 28,795 1,695 1,031 2,175 639 1,276 145 30,388
Nunavut 18,124 1,956 713 1,369 353 537 190 20,444

Footnote 1 Electors who did not appear on any lists of electors at the beginning of the election and were added during the election.

Footnote 2 ED = electoral district. Electors who appeared on the lists of electors of one ED at the beginning of the election but changed their address during the election because of a move to another ED.

Footnote 3 Electors who appeared on the lists of electors of one ED at the beginning of the election and changed their address during the election because of a move to another polling division in the same ED. These figures also include administrative changes the returning officer made to elector records during the election.

Footnote 4 Electors who appeared on a list of electors and requested a correction to an error in their name or mailing address during the election.

Footnote 5 Electors who appeared on a list of electors but were removed because of one of the following: the elector was deceased, the elector requested to be removed, the elector was no longer resident at that address or the elector was not qualified to be on the list (for example, less than 18 years old or a non-citizen). Figures also reflect elector records removed as a result of electors moving to another ED during the election and other duplicates removed during the election, including those removed during the preparation of the final lists of electors.

Footnote 6 SVR = Special Voting Rules. This column indicates the increase in the number of Group 1 electors registered under the SVR (Canadian electors temporarily residing outside Canada, Canadian Forces electors and incarcerated electors) during the election.

Footnote 7 The total number of electors on the final lists is the sum of electors on the preliminary voters lists, electors added, inter-ED address updates and SVR Group 1 updates, minus removed records.

Table 6 – Number of polling stations
Type of polling station 41st general election 42nd general election
Ordinary 66,146 67,911
Stationary 64,477 66,026
Mobile 1,669 1,885
Advance 4,706 4,946
Total 70,852 72,857
Table 7 – Special Voting Rules ballots for the 41st and 42nd general elections
Electors on the lists Valid
ballots
Rejected
ballots
Total
ballots
cast
Voter
turnout (%)
Ballots
received
late
Group 1 – 41st election
Canadian Forces 65,198 26,116 551 26,667 40.9 451
Incarcerated 43,159 15,670 1,537 17,207 39.9 12
International 10,733 6,069 263 6,332 59.0 822
Subtotal 119,090 47,855 2,351 50,206 42.2 1,285
Group 1 – 42nd election
Canadian Forces 64,049 28,431 816 29,247 45.7 291
Incarcerated 44,296 20,673 1,689 22,362 50.5 0
International 15,603 10,707 294 11,001 70.5 994
Subtotal 123,948 59,811 2,799 62,610 50.5 1,285
Group 2 – 41st election
Local 207,981 203,990 2,059 206,050 99.1 N/A*
National 36,323 27,510 1,269 28,778 79.2 1,625
Subtotal 244,304 231,500 3,328 234,828 96.1 1,625
Group 2 – 42nd election
Local N/A* 425,175 4,066 429,241 N/A* N/A*
National 140,191 122,163 4,787 126,950 90.6 3,104
Subtotal N/A* 547,338 8,853 556,191 N/A* N/A*
Grand total – 41st 363,394 279,355 5,679 285,034 78.4 2,910
Grand total – 42nd N/A* 607,149 11,652 618,801 N/A* 4,389

*The number of electors on the list and special ballots received late is not available for local electors.

Table 8 – Voter turnout for the 41st and 42nd general elections
Province or territory 41st general election, 2011 42nd general election, 2015 Increase or decrease (-) from the 41st general election
Electors on final lists Ballots cast Voter turnout (%) Electors on final lists Ballots cast Voter turnout (%) Electors on final lists Ballots cast Voter turnout (%)
Canada 24,257,592 14,823,408 61.1 26,044,131 17,711,983 68.0 1,786,539 2,888,575 6.9
Newfoundland and Labrador 414,779 218,166 52.6 422,895 257,389 60.9 8,116 39,223 8.3
Prince Edward Island 108,456 79,511 73.3 114,330 87,868 76.9 5,874 8,357 3.6
Nova Scotia 733,094 454,266 62.0 746,221 526,069 70.5 13,127 71,803 8.5
New Brunswick 592,818 392,208 66.2 599,980 444,459 74.1 7,162 52,251 7.9
Quebec 6,130,307 3,853,120 62.9 6,408,054 4,303,758 67.2 277,747 450,638 4.3
Ontario 9,033,266 5,556,608 61.5 9,730,457 6,572,378 67.5 697,191 1,015,770 6.0
Manitoba 831,041 493,340 59.4 892,615 603,240 67.6 61,574 109,900 8.2
Saskatchewan 723,814 456,501 63.1 782,980 553,792 70.7 59,166 97,291 7.6
Alberta 2,509,390 1,400,674 55.8 2,857,610 1,937,228 67.8 348,220 536,554 12.0
British Columbia 3,109,917 1,879,304 60.4 3,411,107 2,374,317 69.9 301,190 495,013 9.2
Yukon 24,341 16,124 66.2 27,050 20,385 75.4 2,709 4,261 9.2
Northwest Territories 29,020 15,655 53.9 30,388 19,077 62.8 1,368 3,422 8.9
Nunavut 17,349 7,931 45.7 20,444 12,023 58.8 3,095 4,092 13.1
Table 9 – Judicial recounts
Electoral district Candidate's name (political affiliation) Number of votes cast Candidate's name (political affiliation) Number of votes cast Valid votes cast in electoral district Variance* (number of votes) Variance* (%) Type of situation
Edmonton Mill Woods Amarjeet Sohi (Liberal) 20,423 Tim Uppal (Conservative) 20,331 49,517 92 0.19 Requested
Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte Alex Nuttal (Conservative) 21,091 Brian Tamblyn (Liberal) 21,005 50,535 86 0.17 Requested
Montmagny–L'Islet–Kamouraska–Rivière-du-Loup Bernard Généreux (Conservative) 14,274 Marie-Josée Normand (Liberal) 14,002 49,243 272 0.55 Requested
Hochelaga Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (NDP-New Democratic Party) 16,034 Marwah Rizqy (Liberal) 15,534 51,904 500 0.96 Requested
Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River Georgina Jolibois (NDP-New Democratic Party) 10,319 Lawrence Joseph (Liberal) 10,237 30,213 82 0.27 Requested

*Variance refers to the difference between the number of votes cast for the two leading candidates.

Table 10 – Number of polling locations with automatic door openers
Province or territory Number of locations used Number of locations with automatic door opener Locations with automatic door opener provided (%)
Newfoundland and Labrador 535 59 11
Prince Edward Island 132 43 33
Nova Scotia 789 165 21
New Brunswick 510 88 17
Quebec 3,102 1,060 34
Ontario 6,592 4,227 64
Manitoba 779 259 33
Saskatchewan 780 172 22
Alberta 1,390 525 38
British Columbia 1,476 455 31
Yukon 27 16 59
Northwest Territories 44 8 18
Nunavut 29 1 3
Total 16,185 7,078 44
Table 11 – Adaptations of the Canada Elections Act during the 42nd general election pursuant to subsection 17(1)

The Chief Electoral Officer may, for the sole purpose of enabling electors to exercise their right to vote or enabling the counting of votes, adapt the Canada Elections Act (the Act) under subsection 17(1) to address an emergency, an unusual or unforeseen circumstance, or an error. These adaptations are only applicable for the period of the election during which they are made and for the 30 days after polling day.
Statutory provision Explanatory notes
Section 95 Purpose: Extended the deadline for sending notices of confirmation of registration in the electoral district of Northwest Territories.

Explanation: Section 95 of the Act provides that each returning officer must send, not later than the 24th day before polling day, a notice of confirmation of registration to electors whose names appear on the preliminary lists of electors. Due to the fact that polling places must be identified before these notices can be sent to electors and that the holding of municipal elections in the Northwest Territories on the same day as federal polling day made it difficult to identify satisfactory polling places for the federal election, an adaptation to postpone this deadline was necessary. The adaptation provided that, despite section 95, the deadline for the returning officer to send the notices of confirmation of registration was extended to the 19th day before polling day in the electoral district of Northwest Territories.  
Section 120 Purpose: Allowed the establishment of a second polling station for a polling division in the electoral district of Timmins–James Bay (Ontario).

Explanation: In the Ontario electoral district of Timmins–James Bay, polling division 03 was affected by flooding. Some residents of the polling division were evacuated to and temporarily resided in the town of Kapuskasing, while others remained in the affected community. The polling station for polling division 03 was open to serve the electors who remained, and the adaptation permitted a second polling station to be opened in Kapuskasing to allow the evacuated electors from polling division 03 to vote. The adaptation also directed the returning officer to report the results of polling division 03 by adding together the results from the statements of the vote from the first and second polling stations.
Section 120 Purpose: Allowed the establishment of polling stations for polling divisions of the electoral district of Churchill–Keewatinook Aski (Manitoba) outside that electoral district.

Explanation: In the Manitoba electoral district of Churchill–Keewatinook Aski, polling divisions 081 and 088 were affected by flooding. Electors from these polling divisions were evacuated to and temporarily resided in Winnipeg, and they were unable to easily travel back to their respective communities from Winnipeg to exercise their right to vote. The adaptation permitted the returning officer to establish separate polling stations for polling divisions 081 and 088 in the electoral district of Winnipeg Centre to allow the evacuated electors temporarily residing in Winnipeg to vote. 
Section 122 Purpose: Allowed returning officers who could not locate suitable premises for a polling station within a polling division to establish a polling station for that division in an adjacent electoral district.

Explanation: Section 122 of the Act permits a returning officer who is unable to secure suitable premises for a polling station within a polling division to locate the polling station in an adjacent polling division within the same electoral district. However, in the Saskatchewan electoral district of Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River, the New Brunswick electoral districts of Fundy Royal and Tobique–Mactaquac, and the Newfoundland and Labrador electoral district of St. John's East, suitable premises could not be found in the same district, but could be found in an adjacent electoral district. The adaptation permitted the relevant returning officers to use these alternative premises. 
Section 151 Purpose: Permitted the use of photocopied ballots at advance and ordinary polling stations where necessary.

Explanation: Due to the fact that advance or regular polling stations had the potential to run out of ballots printed pursuant to section 116 of the Act because of higher than expected voter turnout in this election, and that deputy returning officers risked being unable to replenish those ballots before the close of advance or regular polls, an adaptation was made to permit the use of photocopied ballots. The adaptation provided that an elector given a photocopy of a ballot would vote in the same way as any other elector under section 151 of the Act and that the photocopied ballot would be treated, for the purposes of the Act, as an ordinary ballot.
Section 168 Purpose: Allowed the establishment of a second polling station for advance polling district 604 in the electoral district of Toronto–St. Paul's (Ontario).

Explanation: In the Ontario electoral district of Toronto–St. Paul's, the original location of the polling station for advance polling district 604 was changed, but notices of confirmation of registration indicating the change were not sent to all concerned electors. To avoid confusion for electors about where to vote, the adaptation permitted the establishment of a second polling station for advance polling district 604 in the electoral district of Toronto–St. Paul's at the exact location where the original polling station was to be established. The adaptation also directed the returning officer to report the results of advance polling district 604 by adding together the results from the statements of the vote from the first and second polling stations.
Section 168 Purpose: Allowed the establishment of a second polling station for an advance polling district in case of a high volume of electors.

Explanation: Section 168 of the Act does not permit the establishment of a second polling station for an advance polling district. Due to high voter turnout at advance polls in this election, which resulted in significant wait times at several polling stations, an adaptation was made to enable returning officers to establish a second polling station for an advance polling district, if necessary, with the permission of the Chief Electoral Officer. The adaptation also directed returning officers to report the results of the advance polling district by adding together the results from the statements of the vote from both polling stations.
Section 289 Purpose: Permitted the counting of advance poll ballots before the close of polls on polling day.

Explanation: Subsections 289(3) and 289(1) of the Act mention that no person may proceed with a count of the votes cast at an advance poll before the close of polling stations on polling day. Due to the fact that results from the count risked being delayed by the unusually high number of votes cast at advance polls in this election and by an insufficient number of available election workers, an adaptation was made. The adaptation provided that, if 500 or more votes were cast at an advance polling station, the returning officer could authorize the count of these votes to begin two hours before the close of polling stations on polling day.
Table 12 – Adaptations of the Canada Elections Act pursuant to section 179 that were made and/or used during the 42nd general election

The Chief Electoral Officer may, for the purpose of adapting any provision of the Special Voting Rules in Part 11 (sections 177 to 282) of the Canada Elections Act (the Act), issue instructions to execute the intent of those sections in a particular circumstance. In general, adaptations by instruction address issues with the Special Voting Rules process that are not contemplated by the Act, or fill gaps in the Act that would prevent electors who are otherwise qualified to vote from casting their ballot. These adaptations can be made applicable for the purposes of a particular election only, or can be made to continue to apply for future elections until rescinded by the Chief Electoral Officer.
Statutory provision Explanatory notes
Section 190

(Adaptation made at a previous election)
Purpose: Authorized the Special Voting Rules administrator to extend the voting period for Canadian Forces electors who were performing military duties.

Explanation: A number of Canadian Forces electors would not have been able to exercise their right to vote during the voting period set out in the Act because of their military duties. The Act had to be adapted to allow these electors to vote.
Section 221

(New adaptation – for the purposes of the 42nd general election only)

 
Purpose: Permitted the sending of special ballots to certain non-resident electors who indicated their intention to return to Canada to reside or provided proof of the application of an exception to the five-year limit after the original deadline established by the Chief Electoral Officer. 

Explanation: Section 221 of the Act states that an elector may vote by special ballot if his or her application for registration and special ballot is received in Ottawa by 6:00 p.m. on the 6th day before polling day and his or her name is entered in the international register. The adaptation instructed the Special Voting Rules administrator, despite section 221, to a) reinstate in the international register, without receiving new completed applications, the names of certain non-resident electors who had been deleted, and b) to send them a special ballot voting kit. These electors indicated their intention to return to Canada to reside or provided proof of the application of an exception to the five-year limit after the deadline of September 12, 2015, established in a letter signed by the Chief Electoral Officer (as a consequence of which their names were deleted from the international register), but before the deadline set for registration in the international register (6:00 p.m. ET on the 6th day before polling day – October 13, 2015).
Section 227

(New adaptation – for the purposes of the 42nd general election only)

 
Purpose: Delayed the sending of special ballots to certain non-resident electors whose names were in the international register but who had not indicated an intention to return to Canada to reside or provided proof of the application of an exception to the five-year limit. 

Explanation: Subsection 227(1) of the Act requires that the Chief Electoral Officer send special ballot voting kits to electors whose names are entered in the international register after the issue of the writs for an election. The adaptation instructed the Special Voting Rules administrator, despite subsection 227(1), to not send special ballots to non-resident electors who had not indicated an intention to return to Canada to reside or provided proof of the application of an exception to the five-year limit, unless and until the information or proof required in a letter that the Chief Electoral Officer sent on July 31, 2015, was received from the elector. The Chief Electoral Officer's letter was necessary because of an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling given just before the start of the election. On May 2, 2014, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that the provisions of the Act requiring electors outside Canada to demonstrate an intention to return to Canada to reside and applying the five-year limit were of no force and effect. As a result, the Chief Electoral Officer stopped asking non-resident electors if they intended to return to Canada to reside and if they had lived outside Canada for five consecutive years or more. On July 20, 2015, the Ontario Court of Appeal reversed the Superior Court decision, thereby reinstating the requirement for an intention to return to Canada to reside and the five-year limit.
Section 237

(Adaptation made at a previous election)
Purpose: Allowed a second special ballot voting kit to be issued by the returning officer, with the prior approval of the Special Voting Rules administrator, to an elector who did not receive his or her special ballot voting kit by mail and who provided a statement signed under oath to that effect.

Explanation: The Act does not allow for a second special ballot voting kit to be issued to an elector by the returning officer. The adaptation was required in order to allow the elector to exercise his or her right to vote by special ballot.
Section 242

(New adaptation)

 
Purpose: Allowed electors to be given a new special ballot to vote again, if they wished it, in cases where they had improperly marked their special ballot because of erroneous information from an election officer.

Explanation: Some electors voting by special ballot were given erroneous information that caused them to improperly mark their ballots. There is no provision in the Act allowing for an outer envelope to be set aside and for an elector to be given a new special ballot in cases where the elector has improperly marked his or her special ballot because of erroneous information from an election officer. The adaptation permitted electors to request a new special ballot on which they could write the name of the candidate of their choice. It provided for the outer envelope containing the improperly marked special ballot to be set aside unopened.
Section 251

(New adaptation – for the purposes of the 42nd general election only)
Purpose: Allowed some incarcerated electors in the electoral district of Thunder Bay–Rainy River (Ontario) to vote after they were unable to do so on account of errors made by a liaison officer.

Explanation: The liaison officer in the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre in the Ontario electoral district of Thunder Bay–Rainy River required electors in that institution who wished to complete an application for registration and special ballot to first send him a written request to complete the application. The Act does not contain such a requirement. As a consequence of this error, some electors were not permitted to vote because the liaison officer had not received their request by polling day in that establishment (October 9, 2015). The adaptation instructed the returning officer in the electoral district of Thunder Bay–Rainy River to administer a second vote on October 16, 2015, in that correctional centre for electors who were not permitted to vote on October 9, 2015.
Section 252

(Adaptation made at a previous election)
Purpose: Permitted special ballot officers to set aside special ballots cast by incarcerated electors, and to omit their names from the list of electors, if the incarcerated electors specified the correctional institution as their place of ordinary residence.

Explanation: Incarcerated electors who vote using the Special Voting Rules are required to vote in the electoral district of their place of ordinary residence. The Act directs how that place of ordinary residence is to be determined. It cannot be the correctional institution in which the elector is imprisoned. Nevertheless, on the application for registration and special ballot, some incarcerated electors indicated the correctional institution as their place of ordinary residence. The special ballot envelopes had to be set aside to avoid having the ballot counted in the wrong electoral district. The Act contained no provision by which this could be done.
Section 267

(New adaptation)
Purpose: Allowed Canadian Forces electors who voted before the prescribed voting period because of a deputy returning officer's error to have their ballot set aside and to vote again during that period.   

Explanation: Holding a vote in a Canadian Forces unit before the prescribed voting period may cause the unit's electors to vote without the complete and final list of confirmed candidates. As such, ballots cast early by these electors risk being voided if their chosen candidate is not confirmed or resigns before the closing date for nominations. Section 267 of the Act does not provide for special ballot officers to set aside an outer envelope containing a special ballot when a Canadian Forces elector has voted outside the voting period. This adaptation gives the Special Voting Rules administrator the power to set aside special ballots of Canadian Forces electors who cast their vote early because of a deputy returning officer's error, for the purpose of allowing these electors to vote again during the voting period.
Section 267

 

(Adaptation made at a previous election)
Purpose: Allowed national electors who had been registered by election officials to vote by special ballot in the wrong electoral district to have their original special ballot set aside and to vote again.

Explanation: The adaptation permitted special ballot envelopes of national electors who were registered and who voted in the wrong electoral district to be set aside unopened, and permitted these electors to vote again. Without the adaptation, the special ballot envelopes would have been set aside unopened, but the electors would not have been permitted to vote again.
Sections 246, 247

(Adaptation made at a previous election)
Purpose: Extended the statutory process for voting under the Special Voting Rules in provincial correctional institutions to federal correctional institutions.

Explanation: Because the Act formerly prohibited voting by incarcerated electors in federal institutions, it does not describe a process whereby such electors can vote. Since the 2002 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Sauvé struck down the prohibition, the Act has had to be adapted in every federal election to extend the statutory process for voting in provincial correctional institutions to federal correctional institutions.
Section 277

(New adaptation – for the purposes of the 42nd general election only)

 
Purpose: Allowed electors in the electoral district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount (Quebec) whose applications for registration and special ballot had been misplaced to have their special ballots counted.

Explanation: In the Quebec electoral district of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount, the applications for registration and special ballot of three electors were misplaced by the returning officer. As a result, those electors' ballots could not be counted pursuant to the verification and counting process in sections 276 and 278 of the Act, which provide that the elector's information on the outer envelope should correspond with the information on his or her application for registration and special ballot. The adaptation instructed the returning officer in that electoral district, and the deputy returning officers and poll clerks in that office, to not set aside the ballots where an application for registration and special ballot had been misplaced. It instructed them instead to compare the electors' information on the outer envelopes to the information about them in the Record of Special Ballots Issued to Electors Voting in Their Electoral District, so that their special ballots could be counted.  
Section 277

(New adaptation – for the purposes of the 42nd general election only)

 
Purpose: Allowed electors in the electoral districts of Delta (British Columbia) and Northwest Territories who did not complete applications for registration and special ballot before a special ballot was issued to them to have their ballots counted.

Explanation: In the electoral districts of Delta (British Columbia) and Northwest Territories, some election officers erroneously did not require some electors to complete an application for registration and special ballot before issuing them a special ballot. As a result, those electors' ballots could not be counted pursuant to the verification and counting process in sections 276 and 278 of the Act, which provide that the elector's information on the outer envelope should correspond with the information on his or her application for registration and special ballot. The adaptation instructed the returning officer for the electoral district of Delta, the person acting in the place of the returning officer for the electoral district of Northwest Territories, and the deputy returning officers and poll clerks in those offices, to not set aside a ballot where the elector's application was not completed due to erroneous instructions given by an election officer. It instructed them instead to compare the electors' information on the outer envelopes to the information about them in the Record of Special Ballots Issued to Electors Voting in Their Electoral District, so that their special ballots could be counted.  
Section 277

(New adaptation)

 
Purpose: Allowed electors who did not place the inner envelope in an outer envelope, or the special ballot in an inner envelope and an outer envelope, to be given a new special ballot to vote again.   

Explanation: Section 277 of the Act does not provide for the deputy returning officer to set aside an inner envelope that is not contained in an outer envelope, or to set aside a special ballot that is not contained in an inner and an outer envelope. The adaptation permitted the setting aside of the special ballot in the above-mentioned circumstances so that, if the identity of the elector could be ascertained, he or she could be given a new special ballot to vote. Without the adaptation, the special ballots would not have counted, but the electors would not have been permitted to vote again.
Section 277

(Adaptation made at a previous election)
Purpose: Allowed local electors who had been registered by election officials to vote as local electors by special ballot in the wrong electoral district to have their original special ballots set aside and to vote again.

Explanation: The adaptation permitted the special ballot envelopes of local electors who were registered and voted in the wrong electoral district to be set aside unopened and permitted these electors to vote again. Without the adaptation, the special ballot envelopes would have been set aside unopened, but the electors would not have been permitted to vote again.