Legality of homelessness

[Kitch]

I recently heard a commercial (I'm not sure if it was sponsored by Elections Canada or some other group) that said Canadians now need to provide proof of identity AND proof of address in order to vote. Does this mean that homeless people can't vote?

Is it really illegal to be homeless??? What does that say about our values... or at least those who made that a law??? (Assuming that it's true of course).

Does anybody know anything about this?

[Bodhi]

I recently heard a commercial (I'm not sure if it was sponsored by Elections Canada or some other group) that said Canadians now need to provide proof of identity AND proof of address in order to vote. Does this mean that homeless people can't vote?

Is it really illegal to be homeless??? What does that say about our values... or at least those who made that a law??? (Assuming that it's true of course).

Does anybody know anything about this?

A few NGO's and activists in the U.S are actively seeking out the homeless and encouraging them to vote. For place of residence/mailing address, they found that using the shelters' addresses is sufficient.

Canadians can follow suit.

[gc1765]

I recently heard a commercial (I'm not sure if it was sponsored by Elections Canada or some other group) that said Canadians now need to provide proof of identity AND proof of address in order to vote. Does this mean that homeless people can't vote?

Is it really illegal to be homeless??? What does that say about our values... or at least those who made that a law??? (Assuming that it's true of course).

Does anybody know anything about this?

I don't know the answer, but I believe that the homeless should be able to vote. If prisoners are allowed to vote, then the homeless should be allowed.

[Kitch]

I don't know the answer, but I believe that the homeless should be able to vote. If prisoners are allowed to vote, then the homeless should be allowed.

Seriously!!

I've read some articles this summer, though, that discuss the culture/mentality created (presumably) by making homelessness illegal. There are stories in the U.S. of teenagers assaulting homeless people in their sleep, sometimes killing them, but not really being punished... and sometimes it's not teenagers.

I do believe that it is actually illegal to be homeless, or at the very least the laws that exist make it difficult to be so. This ends up in a culture in which these people are treated as less than human. Now, whether or not people should be "allowed" to be homeless is another discussion, but either way they do NOT deserve to be treated as less than human and thus deserve EVERY right that we have as citizens, including the right to vote!

[Bryan]

The reason they need ID, is there have been problems with people voting more than once, using the no ID thing as a way to get around "proving" who they are. In a recent municipal election here in Winnipeg, one of the candidates was accused of renting a bus, driving around and picking up homeless people, feeding them, and driving them from poll to poll to vote for him over and over again. Allegations were not proven as far as I know, but what made it stick out was that the laws were just lax enough that you COULD do that if you were so inclined.

So, providing ID is now required. And it should be. Question is, how do they issue such ID to homeless people in such a way that it differentiates WHICH John Smith this is (if you can't use simple things like their address or phone number)? I don't have an answer for that.

[M.Dancer]

I recently heard a commercial (I'm not sure if it was sponsored by Elections Canada or some other group) that said Canadians now need to provide proof of identity AND proof of address in order to vote. Does this mean that homeless people can't vote?

Is it really illegal to be homeless??? What does that say about our values... or at least those who made that a law??? (Assuming that it's true of course).

Does anybody know anything about this?

You must reside in a riding....a homeless shelter counts.

[Kitch]

You must reside in a riding....a homeless shelter counts.

That's good then, I guess. But what about people who don't regularly stay in shelters?

It really is good to hear that there are things in place to help homeless people exercise their right to vote, but does anybody know if there is any law that explicitly or implicitly makes homelessness illegal? Allowing people to use a shelter as their address is a help, but that effort in itself is not an indication that homeless people are all 'allowed' to vote.

[M.Dancer]

That's good then, I guess. But what about people who don't regularly stay in shelters?

It really is good to hear that there are things in place to help homeless people exercise their right to vote, but does anybody know if there is any law that explicitly or implicitly makes homelessness illegal? Allowing people to use a shelter as their address is a help, but that effort in itself is not an indication that homeless people are all 'allowed' to vote.

No it makes them inelible to vote. There is no law that you must have a fixed address.

The obverse would be a candidate rounding up the homeless and herding them to a voting centre in his or her riding to vote....I'm sure you can see the pitfall with that.

[independent]

That's good then, I guess. But what about people who don't regularly stay in shelters?

It really is good to hear that there are things in place to help homeless people exercise their right to vote, but does anybody know if there is any law that explicitly or implicitly makes homelessness illegal? Allowing people to use a shelter as their address is a help, but that effort in itself is not an indication that homeless people are all 'allowed' to vote.

http://homelessnation.org/node/4062

The homeless are often neglected(Maybe the who cares if they get a vote attitude). Some of them may not be legally in Canada and for obvious reasons can not vote. But they are legally allowed to vote if they are a Canadian citizen over the age of 18. If you do not have proof of residence you can be vouched for.

http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?sectio...y=false#voting2

Edited October 6, 2008 by independent

[Kitch]

No it makes them inelible to vote. There is no law that you must have a fixed address.

The obverse would be a candidate rounding up the homeless and herding them to a voting centre in his or her riding to vote....I'm sure you can see the pitfall with that.

Oh definitely! I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any oversight to prevent that.

But what kind of "proof" of address can be provided at a polling station that doesn't indicate a fixed address? Some sort of proof would have to be an official document/card. That would be difficult to obtain without a fixed address. So... I don't know what to say. Maybe the system makes it difficult for homeless people to vote rather than not allowing them. But how can we hinder the rights of some people for the purpose of keeping an eye on dishonest ones?

[PoliticalCitizen]

I recently heard a commercial (I'm not sure if it was sponsored by Elections Canada or some other group) that said Canadians now need to provide proof of identity AND proof of address in order to vote. Does this mean that homeless people can't vote?

Is it really illegal to be homeless??? What does that say about our values... or at least those who made that a law??? (Assuming that it's true of course).

Does anybody know anything about this?

I would like the state to take care of the homeless people, as in "make them non-homeless".

[independent]

Oh definitely! I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any oversight to prevent that.

But what kind of "proof" of address can be provided at a polling station that doesn't indicate a fixed address? Some sort of proof would have to be an official document/card. That would be difficult to obtain without a fixed address. So... I don't know what to say. Maybe the system makes it difficult for homeless people to vote rather than not allowing them. But how can we hinder the rights of some people for the purpose of keeping an eye on dishonest ones?

You do not need proof of address if you are vouched for by someone who has the needed proof.

[M.Dancer]

I would like the state to take care of the homeless people, as in "make them non-homeless".

ummmm.....gulags

[M.Dancer]

Oh definitely! I'm not saying that there shouldn't be any oversight to prevent that.

But what kind of "proof" of address can be provided at a polling station that doesn't indicate a fixed address? Some sort of proof would have to be an official document/card. That would be difficult to obtain without a fixed address. So... I don't know what to say. Maybe the system makes it difficult for homeless people to vote rather than not allowing them. But how can we hinder the rights of some people for the purpose of keeping an eye on dishonest ones?

No fixed address..no vote. Simple as that. Nomads and itinerant voters need not apply.

[M.Dancer]

You do not need proof of address if you are vouched for by someone who has the needed proof.

Never the less, you still have to provide an address.

[August1991]

I've read some articles this summer, though, that discuss the culture/mentality created (presumably) by making homelessness illegal.

Most municipalities have vagrancy bylaws but these are typically not enforced.

IMHO, virtually all of the homeless people I see in Montreal are theer by choice. In many cases, they want nothing to do with bureaucracy, social workers, dogooders or any organized system. Voting is the least of their preoccupations not because of poverty but because of disinterest.

They bear absolutely no resemblance to the homeless people I saw living on the streets of Calcutta, for example.

[manwithnoname]

You got it , and should read more about how we could as one voice change the whole result of this election by forcing their hand, for the voices of the many out there that will never be heard again thanks to con-dictator Harper

See my Petitions and join the Fire Harper Petition list or the Fair Vote Petition or both team up from your side of the country and lets get Canada's Voice heard as One on the World News;

you might even like my rant

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I recently heard a commercial (I'm not sure if it was sponsored by Elections Canada or some other group) that said Canadians now need to provide proof of identity AND proof of address in order to vote. Does this mean that homeless people can't vote?

Is it really illegal to be homeless??? What does that say about our values... or at least those who made that a law??? (Assuming that it's true of course).

Does anybody know anything about this?

Edited October 9, 2008 by manwithnoname

[PoliticalCitizen]

ummmm.....gulags

I'd prefer to call such institutions "mandatory rehabilitation and training facilities".