Most systems allow for some kind of absentee voting if the voter is unable to vote in person on
election day at their polling station. Some systems limit this voting to those who are travelling or
abroad. Others allow any registered voter to vote by absentee ballot in order to make voting
more accessible.
Although it may facilitate access and make voting easier, ensuring the integrity of
an absentee ballot can be difficult. How to be sure that the voters who requested the absentee
ballot filled it in themselves, freely and without duress? And, how to ensure the identity of the
voter, yet keep that vote secret? Voting by mail, or soon by e-mail, also bypasses many of the
safeguards put into a polling station vote, such as inking the fingers of voters to be sure they only
voted once, or to show up physically so that everyone knows that this voter exists and is eligible.
These issues need to be taken into consideration when designing the absentee voting system.
In the case of Canada, absentee voting is allowed under Special Voting Rules. The voters may request a voting
kit, but the request must be received by a set date. The kit includes a special ballot and an
anonymous multi-envelope system designed to protect the identity of each voter. The ballot is
blank and the voter writes in the first name or initials and the surname of the candidate of their
choice:
The special ballot voting kit contains three envelopes. Having completed the ballot, the
voter inserts it into an unmarked inner envelope, seals it, and places that envelope in an
outer envelope: which bears voter registration information and a declaration. Envelopes
sent to electors residing outside Canada and electors away from their electoral districts
also feature a bar code for verification. The voter signs and dates the declaration on the
outer envelope, seals it and places it in a pre-addressed third envelope; which is then
mailed or delivered either to the Chief Electoral Officer in Ottawa or, if the voter is in his
or her own riding, to the returning officer for that riding.
Every precaution is taken to respect the secrecy and integrity of the process. The special
ballot is enclosed in a series of envelopes that makes it impossible to determine how any
individual elector has voted. Each outer envelope bears a declaration that must be
completed by the elector. The unique bar code label used for electors residing outside
Canada and electors away from their electoral districts is checked electronically by
election officials to ensure that it is from a registered elector and that it is the only ballot
received from that elector.201
In the Canadian system, it is the responsibility of the voter to know the names of the candidates,
because the ballot is blank. It is also the voter's responsibility to return the absentee ballot by the
specified deadline or it will not be counted. Voters who request an absentee ballot cannot vote in
any other way for that election.
In the case of Ireland, protections against voter impersonation in casting absentee ballots include requiring that the voter
have their 'declaration of identity witnessed by a Garda (police officer) before marking the ballot paper and
returning it by post to the returning officer.202
Once rare, absentee balloting is being used more and more as a convenience by voters.
Absentee ballots can make a difference in the election outcome. For example, in the 1960 U.S. presidential
elections, the electoral votes for the state of California went from John F. Kennedy to Richard
Nixon after the count of the absentee ballots. With the electronic revolution, voting by Internet
will fast become the next absentee ballot system. Safeguards will need to be put into place to
ensure that electronic absentee voting is honest and reliable. For more on elections and
technology, see Elections and Technology.
