Election BC’s chief electoral officer has released six recommendations following the 2024 general provincial election.
Anton Boegman, whose term in the role ends in November, released his third and final volume of the report on the Oct. 19, 2024 general election on Thursday (Oct. 30). It included six priority recommendations, as well as several technical recommendations.
The first volume was released in May.
Boegman said in the release that after every provincial election, Elections BC conducts a comprehensive review of what went well and what could be improved. Some of those improvements require legislative changes.
The recommendations included: extending the campaign for fixed date elections; consolidating the nomination period; establishing monetary penalties for violations of the 100-metre campaigning rule and some voting offences; expanding authority to issue administrative production orders; reporting a unique contributor ID for political contributions; and authorizing access to information about non-citizens.
Boegman is first recommending extending the campaign period by three days, by calling by-elections and fixed-date elections on a Wednesday.
Final voting day, under current legislation, must happen on a Saturday, while the writ drops and close of nominations also happen on Saturdays. Boegman’s report says that having those processes happen on weekends – a non-business day – is “administratively challenging” that leads to increased costs, logistical challenges and a tight timeline for nominations.
For the second recommendation, Boegman is calling to consolidate standing and ordinary nominations into a single period and allow the chief electoral officer to declare candidates. He said it would streamline the process, improve efficiency and free district electoral officers to focus on other critical duties.
The report says that currently the Election Act separates standing and ordinary nominations between the chief electoral officer and district electoral officers, but the requirements are identical except for the times and locations for submissions and the authority to issue the certificate of candidacy.
The third recommendation looks to allow the chief electoral officer to impose administrative monetary penalties for campaigning activity within 100 metres of voting places and for some voting violations. The report says the Canada Elections Act allows for penalties of up to $5,000, which could serve as a model.
Boegman says that the chief electoral officer may recommend prosecution for campaigning within 100 metres of a voting place or trying to vote multiple times, but criminal prosecutions require “significant time and resources and must meet high evidentiary standards.”
In 2024, there were 39 investigations relating to the 100-metre rule.
The fourth recommendation would allow the chief electoral officer to issue administrative production orders for communication that spreads misinformation or disinformation.
The fifth recommendation calls for a unique ID for anyone who contributes to a campaign, and to also include that in financial reports.
The reports says that currently there is no requirement to uniquely identify contributors beyond a name and address. Boegman said in the report that it can create challenges when contributors have similar names, use name variations or change their address.
The sixth recommendation proposes an information sharing agreement with the chief electoral officer and the federal government to access information about non-citizens.
The report notes that while there are processes in place for would-be voters to confirm they’re eligible to vote, Elections BC doesn’t currently have access to information on citizenship and permanent residency status of people in B.C.
The technical recommendations, which included administration, enforcement and financial reporting requirements, could be solved through legislative changes.