Keeping results under wraps

This week, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear arguments in the case of Paul Bryan, a British Columbia resident charged under the Canada Elections Act for posting federal election results to his website before the polls closed all across the country.

I agree that the law infringes upon freedom of expression, and is arguably ineffective in the internet age. But I also agree that voter turnout in Western Canada is depressed when Westerners find out the election has effectively been decided, regardless of how they vote. I've always thought the solution is simple: when the polls close in the eastern provinces, the ballots should be locked up and guarded, with the count beginning only when voting has ended all across the country.

Damian P.

Posted by damian at October 22, 2006 10:02 AM