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 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