As many as 450,000 Canadians may have been excluded from voting in the last federal election
Changes to federal election laws to toughen requirements for voter identification were meant to protect the sanctity of the ballot box. In fact, they may have excluded as many as 450,000 people from legitimately casting their votes in the last federal election and changed the outcome of several close races, says a report in the Tyee.ca. The Vancouver-based online journal bases that number on its analysis of a report released last week by Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand. Those particularly affected by the ID requirement include the elderly, homeless people and a group the Tyee neglected to mention—post-secondary students living away from home.