A Quayside resident was “really baffled” when he wasn’t required to show ID to vote in the civic election.
Armed with his voter card, Michael Malakieh went to the advance voting opportunity at the New Westminster Lawn Bowling Club on Oct. 12.
“All they do is take your card. They don't ID you at all, and I was baffled,” he said. “I even asked him (about it) – it's not mandated about taking the ID whatsoever, only if you don't have a voter's card. And I was really surprised.”
So surprised, in fact, that Malakieh called the legislative services department at New Westminster City Hall, Elections BC and the City of Vancouver to see if ID is required to vote in civic elections. He thinks it’s “strange” that people are permitted to vote without showing ID.
“It just doesn't make sense,” he said. “People's mailboxes get broken into all the time.”
Malakieh said he’s not suggesting there’s going to be voter fraud, but he believes voters should be required to show some identification, even if they have a voter card, to ensure the integrity of the election process.
“They don't know who I am,” he said. “There's no picture. I find that very unprofessional. Well, as you can tell, I'm kind of passionate about it.”
Nicole Ludwig, the city’s deputy chief election officer, said it’s one of those situations where the requirements for local elections conducted under the Local Government Act are not aligned with provincial elections requirements (Elections Act) and relates only to registered voters.
“If someone is already on the voter’s list there is no requirement to present identification when going to vote in a local government election,” she said.
If a person is registering as a voter at the same time as voting, Ludwig said they have to meet the requirements for ID in the Local Government Act: two pieces of ID that, combined, show name, address, and signature. If they only have one piece of ID, they can make a solemn declaration of residency and identity, which will be considered one piece of ID.
Malakieh said he has no issues with the civic election workers or city officials, who are only following the rules that govern local elections – but he thinks the voting process should be changed to require ID, as is required to vote in provincial and federal elections.
“I just thought it was kind of hokey pokey, like a high school election,” he said.
