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Modernizing New Brunswick’s Electoral Legislation

This document outlines recommendations for modernizing New Brunswick's electoral legislation, including the Elections Act, Political Process Financing Act, and Municipal Elections Act, to align with strategic goals, enhance voter engagement, and improve electoral processes. Key recommendations include competitive hiring, removal of restrictions, improved financial reporting, and the introduction of Vote-by-Mail. Feedback is invited until September 30th, 2019.

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Modernizing New Brunswick’s Electoral Legislation

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  1. Modernizing New Brunswick’s Electoral Legislation June 2019

  2. Modernizing New Brunswick’s Electoral Legislation “Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”- Steve Jobs “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”-Winston S. Churchill

  3. Modernizing New Brunswick’s Electoral Legislation • Elections Act • Political Process Financing Act • Municipal Elections Act

  4. Modernizing New Brunswick’s Electoral Legislation • Recommendations align with goals set out in Elections New Brunswick’s 2018-2027 Strategic Plan • Encourage voter engagement • Improve services to political parties • Increase efficiency and effectiveness of electoral processes

  5. Elections Act Key Recommendations • Competitive, merit-based hiring of Returning Officers and Election Clerks • Remove requirement for appointing political nominees as special voting officers • Require by-elections to fill vacant seats to be held within six months of the declared vacancy • Require political parties and candidates who receive lists of electors to submit privacy plans

  6. Elections Act Key Recommendations • Remove restricted advertising period • Permit payment of high school students for working a full-day at a polling station • Create register of “future electors” • Expressly limit a candidate to running in one riding for only one registered party • Add children, accompanied by parent or guardian, to the list of those eligible to enter polling stations

  7. Political Process Financing Act Key Recommendations • Replace official representative and official agent with a newly-created position of financial agent responsible for all financial matters. • Start calculation of election expenses in the calendar year of an election on January 1st • Set common spending limit for all electoral districts

  8. Political Process Financing Act Key Recommendations • Introduce one comprehensive financial return that covers annual reporting of a district association and electoral financial reporting of its candidate • Increase compliance and enforcement authority of Supervisor • Allow for anonymous contributions of $20

  9. Municipal Elections Act Key Recommendations • Competitive, merit-based hiring of Municipal Returning Officers (MRO) and Election Clerks • Remove restricted advertising period • Align municipal election advertising disclosure requirements with provincial election rules • Require MROs to confirm qualifications of candidates • Introduce Vote-by-Mail for any municipal elections held between general elections

  10. Next Steps • Post document online for feedback until Monday, September 30th, 2019 • Draft Memorandums to Executive Council seeking authority to replace Acts • Introduce bills for new Acts during 2020 Spring session of Legislative Assembly

  11. Questions

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