Modernizing Canada's Electoral System: What Drove the Creation of the National Register of Electors?

Abstract

In 1997, Canada reformed its system of voter registration, adopting a permanent voters list. Existing accounts fail to adequately account for the political dynamics motivating the Chrétien government's decision to adopt a register. After decades of development in policy circles, a register was championed by policy entrepreneurs as a solution to growing problems with the enumeration system. Drawing on data from the parliamentary record, and the first-hand experience of an Elections Canada official, this article argues that the pivotal factor in winning political support for the adoption of a register was the shortened electoral calendar it enabled.