US and Canadian Electoral Process

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the US and Canadian electoral processes, and the differences between the two. According to the paper, the voting eligibility requirements of the United States and Canada are almost the same with regards to age, residency, citizenship and incorporation in the voters' list.

From the Paper:

"In Canada, a qualified voter must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years of age and his or her name must be on the List of Electors or Voters' List. "The right to vote is restricted to those who maintain normal year-round residency within a given polling division. Although residency normally means 'place of ... habitation,' special provision is made for members of the Canadian Forces and public-service workers, together with their dependants, who may be absent from their place of residence for extended periods by virtue of their jobs. Special provision is also made for those who move during an election, employees or students temporarily residing in a location, transient residents, and Members of Parliament. (Robertson, 2004)" Unlike the United States, "Canada's electoral system is referred to as a 'single-member plurality' or 'first-past-the-post' system. In every electoral district, the candidate with the most votes wins a seat in the House of Commons and represents that riding as its Member of Parliament, or MP. This means that candidates need not receive more than 50 percent of the vote (an absolute majority) to be elected. (Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, 2001)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cantor, Joseph E. (2004). The state of campaign finance. Retrieved 14 June 2006 from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs Website: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/election04/finance$.htm
• CBCnews. (2004, June 30). Voter turnout lowest since Confederation. Retrieved 14 June 2006 from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Website: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/06/29/turnout040629.html
• Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. (2001). Canada's electoral system. Retrieved 14 June 2006 from the Elections Canada Website: http://www.elections.ca
• Maxwell, Kay J. (2006). The American Presidency. The New Book of Knowledge. Retrieved 14 June 2006 from Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc. Website: http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=a2031120-h&templatename=/article/article.html
• Miller, David. (2003, November 6). System Failure: It's not just the media, it's the whole bloody system. Retrieved 14 June 2006 from Website: http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/departments/media-communications/pdfs/davidmiller-paper.pdf.

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