Look at your election cards Canadian girls!

[I Am Paula]

It just came out on national news that thousands of Canadian transwomen have received voter cards in their former names (myself included).
Huffington Post.ca (a questionable source) is saying conservatives are targeting special interests who are not likely to vote conservative, with bogus cards. That is for you to believe, or not, but Canadian girls (sorry, and guys)-
Check your voter card!

[Princess Chantal]

Here is Canada Elections information guide for transgender voters http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=faq&dir=id&document=index&lang=e#tr

[Marcelle]

No issues when it comes to voting. I voted at an advance poll and my ID does not currently match my appearance.

Cheers

Isha

[Frances]

Name and appearance not mathing is not a problem. It's not having the right name that is a big issue.

The CBC and other news groups have a uncovered a systematic "glitch" whereby trans people who had changed their name were put on the list with the wrong name. Of course, changing the name is not that hard, but it requires going to an Elections Canada office and exposing yourself as trans. A lot do not want to do that. If it is indeed a voter suppression tactic, they are banking on many people not doing it and no being able to vote come election day. Harper's anti-LGBT stance is pretty clear. He defunded most programs for LGBT communities and views LGBT votes as lost to the other parties.

[dreamer_2.0]

I suppose that's a small benefit to not being full time yet. Name on the card matches my ID. They're both "wrong" in that I'll be changing them to Holly at some point but, until then, no attempt at suppressing LGBT voters will affect me going to vote harper's butt out!

[I Am Paula]

Interestingly, while getting my voter card fixed, I noticed on the info change screen, we had the choices of male, female, unknown, other.

[VanTG]

I love elections Canada,

"Yes, you can still vote as long as your name and address on your ID match your name and address on your voter registration. The law does not require that you show any other proof. If you register or vote in person, a poll worker may ask you to explain why the photo does not match your appearance."

So this poll worker is going to be trained to accept trans people. There are poll workers who probably don't even know what Trans means. I just posted this question on there Facebook page.
will let you know if I get a response.

[I Am Paula]

VanTG- This post is not about appearance. That has been covered to death. It is about voter cards with our old (dead) names on them.
RE: Trained to accept trans people. YEAH RIGHT!! Last election two of my close friends were not allowed to vote due to I.D. irregularities that are part of the transition process. The elections officer at the polls forced them to repeatedly out themselves, and misgendered them.

[Frances]

I was interviewed with a journalist from La Presse (the biggest newspaper in Quebec) about this situation.

[I Am Paula]

I am VERY sad to report. My friend went to get her voter card changed yesterday, (as should all transpeople with the wrong voter card)
It was very busy at the office, and she was misgendered over, and over...loudly, and questioned how she could be both male, and female. They outed her to everyone present, demanding an explanation.
She has made a complaint to elections Canada, but this has happened to so many. Yes, the folks working there are housewives, who only work sporadically, but still they should know better.
Elections Canada, shame on you.

I have praised Ontario, and Canada over and over, about how well they have handled my transition, but still, each election, I am saddened by how far we still have to go.

[ReineD]

I moved from Canada to the US 25 years ago (a job transfer) and in my heart still always felt that Canada was above all of that, in comparison to the politics in this country. I'm shocked to see the same tactics employed there. Shame on the Harper government.

For the benefit of any trans person reading this including those who are not registered on this site, the only way to stop this is to risk embarrassment at the Canada Election offices and get out there and vote.

[I Am Paula]

Thanks for the concern Reine. I personally don't believe this is a Harper conspiracy. I think mistakes were made, and the rest is just very poor training on the part of elections Canada.
I'm quite sure elections officials know better than to call someone out based on race, or perhaps cultural garb, but when they encounter a transperson, they are speechless, or worse, loudmouthed. There are tens of thousands of part time election officials working for a few short weeks. Only a handful of them will have to deal with a transperson. That's not an excuse, but the truth. I'm also sure that each employee is given a policies, and procedures handbook. I have been given many, and never read one yet.
I know lots of Canadians believe the voter suppression conspiracy, and I will be enraged if I find there is any truth to it.

[Princess Chantal]

Here is a press release from today https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cdW-OZewRsND5YdiwaJHJ_QfTLHR24bjXosMu__vJY0/mobilebasic?pli=1
And the following link should help http://votingwhiletrans.ca