Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Prisoners big on voting

More than 17,000 cast ballots on May 2

By: Glen McGregor

Posted: 08/29/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

OTTAWA -- Despite attempts to get more young people involved in the last federal election, the fastest-growing vote came from behind bars.

More than 17,000 incarcerated inmates cast ballots for the May 2 election, a 27 per increase from the 2008 election.

The figure marks the largest number of votes recorded by prisoners since the Supreme Court upheld the right of federal inmates to vote in 2002.

The figures were published in chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand's report on the 41st election, released last week.

Mayrand does not explain why more prisoners are exercising this right, but notes a new elector registration tool helped liaison officers in prisons identify inmates' ridings and complete the registration.

There is no indication the Conservative government's plans to introduce tougher crime legislation and build more prisons increased the turnout.

About nine per cent of the ballots cast in prison were rejected by Elections Canada, a rate three times the national average.

High rates of rejected ballots can indicate a protest by voters who intentionally deface their ballots. Ridings in Quebec typically have the greatest share of rejected ballots.

Elections Canada does not publish figures to show how prisoners voted. Instead, their votes are lumped in with other special ballots cast by Canadians living abroad and Canadian Forces members stationed away from their home ridings.

An Ottawa Citizen analysis of these special ballots shows that, had these alone been counted on election day, Stephen Harper's Conservatives would have enjoyed an even stronger majority.

The prisoners, military members and Canadians abroad voted strongly in support of the Conservatives but also threw more support behind the decimated Liberal party than other electors.

Ridings in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario accounted for a disproportionate share of these special ballots. More were cast in Kingston, Ont., and the Islands than in any other riding, likely owing to the large prison population.

-- Postmedia News

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 29, 2011 A4

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.