Okay, thanks.
Mr. Kingsley, I understand your role very well. One of your objectives is the integrity of the process. In other words, you want everyone to have an equal opportunity and that there be no form of partisanship. You also have a secondary and related objective, the fluidity of the voting process. You do not want waiting lines, which was a complaint in previous elections. You want things to keep moving. I think that the bingo card could be integrated without hiring staff. Here’s how.
There is a deputy returning officer and a poll clerk. A voter—let’s say she’s called Diane Davidson—shows up to vote. She is asked for photo ID. She presents her Quebec driver’s licence, which has her photo, date of birth, and address. While she is behind the curtain, in the booth, no one else can come to the table. Do you agree? The other voters are in line, at the entrance to the polling station. While Diane Davidson, voter No. 28, votes in polling division 326, for example, the clerk or the deputy returning officer can make an “X” next to number 28 without any new staff having to be hired.
The fluidity of the voting process is thus preserved. No confidential lists are handed over, there is no need to photocopy NCR cards. With regard to additions at the bottom of the list, if numbers were given—for example, 622 to 630—Diane Davidson would have been added during the revision. Additional lines would have been provided and number 622 could be added by hand to indicate that she came to vote. No additional people would be hired, privacy would be respected, and the voting process would remain fluid.