Special Report of the Chief Electoral Officer

For example, section 17 would not currently permit the adaptation of provisions regulating any aspect of the Register of Electors, or the candidate nomination process, or to protect the health of electors and election workers, even if such changes were necessary to allow the election to proceed safely in the context of the pandemic. [...] An Election Statute in Response to the Pandemic While it is unusual to do so, given the current circumstances and the urgency of the recommended changes, we have taken the liberty of submitting a model statute to assist Parliament in the study of these recommendations and the preparation of a bill. [...] If voting at a polling station is interrupted during the voting period by an emergency and the Chief Electoral Officer is satisfied that, if the voting hours at the polling station are not extended, a substantial number of electors will not be able to vote, the Chief Electoral Officer shall extend the voting hours at the polling station for the period the Chief Electoral Officer considers necessar [...] In the Canada Elections Act, any reference to the close of a polling station, or words to that effect, shall be deemed a reference to the close of a polling station on the last day of the voting period. [...] At the opening of a polling station, an election officer who is assigned to the polling station shall, in full view of the candidates or their representatives who are present, (a) on the first day of the voting period (i) open the ballot box and ascertain that it is empty; (ii) seal the ballot box with the seals provided by the Chief Electoral Officer; and (iii) place the ballot box on a table in