The US Election Thread

[GONNAFISTYA]

And depending on nationality/length of residency non-Canadians can vote in Canadian elections.

That's not what Elections Canada says. Citizenship is required to vote in Canada.

I'm not sure that article is as robust as it should be. And it seems that some of the "rules" stated on the page are flexible. For example:

...if you are an elector (a person who is eligible to vote) and have been living away from Canada for less than five consecutive years since your departure from Canada, you are eligible to vote under the Special Voting Rules.

I was living in Europe for more than six years and Elections Canada automatically registered me upon my taking this apartment in Montreal and sent me a registration notice. I went and voted and there was no extra paperwork or bullshit...it was if I never left. So if I broke Canadian law then Elections Canada helped me do it.

As for non-citizens voting I am not intimate with the particulars as I am just going from information told to me by several non-Canadian friends who have been able to vote in Canadian elections who aren't citizens but are mere residents. Perhaps the laws of Quebec are different in some ways. Dunno.

[Bilirubin]

I think you are misreading the regulations. The 5 year rule for voting under the Special Voting Rules apply to Canadians who are living abroad but are voting "absentee". After 5 years, you cannot vote again until you return to take up residence in Canada once again, as you did.

Regarding "several non-Canadian friends who [told you that they] have been able to vote in Canadian elections who aren't citizens but are mere residents" that would be illegal (although I am not denying that it could easily happen--they tried to register my partner to vote in the States no fewer than five times when we were living down there together last). True, Quebec has different laws, but federal laws still apply, and its actually harder to gain status in Quebec because they have their own separate immigration office (I landed there, and have the scars to prove it!). Earlier in the thread you suggested that Canadian laws allow for noncitizens to vote based on residency. That is incorrect. I just wanted to clear that point up.

Also, the speed with which one votes in Canada doesn't allow for easy comparisons with voting in the US. I am a dual citizen and voted in both federal elections this fall. In Canada, I drew a x in one circle. In the US, my California ballot was 7 pages long, including Chino Valley Water Commissioner and all of the freaky voter initiatives, and I had to carefully draw a line to connect the two parts of an arrow pointing at my choice. It took considerably longer because of the longer length of the ballot.

[Sanction]

Is that a real cover? lol

I'm not sure but given the indignation of Germany towards America and the blunt way Europeans speak about "the Bush years" I have no reason to doubt it.

That is photoshopped. This is the original image: