You will be allow to vote with a burka in the next byelectio

Moroccans (including muslim women) voted last week, so that is not so true...
And they are not allowed to vote veiled (as far as I know)

Todays editorial on this brings up an interesting point.

well in ontario dalton mcguinty has decided to jump on the burka bandwagon and let them vote with them on . read artilce

Tue, September 11, 2007

Platform 'unveiled'McGuinty says Muslim women can vote wearing their burkas
By JAMES WALLACE, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU

Muslim women shouldn't be forced to remove their veils to vote in Ontario's election, Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday.

Although a national controversy has erupted over whether Muslim women who wear traditional burkas or veils should be required to show their faces when voting in upcoming federal by-elections in Quebec, McGuinty said they should have no trouble voting in Ontario.

"My understanding of the rules that (we) have in place at present is that there is no requirement that a woman lift her veil and that other alternative forms of ID are acceptable," McGuinty said in an exclusive interview with Sun Media.

"I am supportive of that," he said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and federal opposition leaders have sharply criticized a decision by Marc Mayrand, Canada's chief electoral officer, that would allow Muslim women to remain veiled while voting in the Quebec by-elections.

Harper contends Mayrand's administrative decision goes against the wishes of Parliament, which adopted legislation in June requiring voters to produce photo ID at the ballot box in order to vote.

That law requires election officials to confirm the identity of the person voting by comparing their face with a picture on photo ID.

Mayrand has said that could be done by asking Muslim women who wish to remain veiled to swear an oath, however, federal parliamentarians insist the law they passed requires officials to actually confirm identifies.

Federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion by way of compromise called on Elections Canada to have female officials on hand at voting booths to verify identification and ensure the religious values and privacy of Muslim women, a position advanced by the Canadian Islamic Congress.

However, in Ontario's Oct. 10 election, veiled Muslim women will be allowed to keep their veils on as long as they bring adequate personal ID.

"I think they have to produce alternative forms of identification that are acceptable to Elections Ontario," McGuinty said.

Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton, when asked his position on the issue, said he's satisfied Ontario's election officials have taken "appropriate steps" to ensure voter fraud doesn't occur next month.

How is your voter card issued to you? I know Canada has no registration office in City Hall where you have to register yourself with photo ID when you move to town (like we have in Holland) so I wondered how it is all registered in Canada?

(not that I will be allowed to vote until I become Canadian ;-)

)

You have to register as a voter beforehand... the voter card is mailed to you. Tells you when and where to vote, and confirms your registration information.

You can register at the polling station, too, without a card - that's when you need the official identification.

well I suppose there is nothing to worry about .. most of them wont even vote.. unless there is a Muslim running... anyway whats the big deal.. they didnt have that right in Bagdad

I wouldn't go so far as to drop this yet.
Voting by mail requires a bit of history or at least some proof of domicile in that region. That takes time and some ID.
I would still like to see this veil allowance axed just because it's such a huge presidence and it sounds like 99% of the muslims have already said that it's dumb anyways.
What do we stand to gain from letting this stand.
Not much that I can see... (hahahah!)

There are a few factors here that make the fact that someone wearing a Burka being able to vote a complete non-issue.

If every voter can only vote once, and the vote must come from an eligible voter, then even in the worst case scenario, all that could happen is that a person could vote with the burka on, then go "borrow" someone's ID (who was either not going to vote or was voting the same way) and vote again.

Now ask yourself, what would be more difficult, convincing someone to part with all of their legal ID to let you run off with just to vote, or convincing them to vote the same way that you do when they were not going to vote anyway ?

If it is stolen ID in question, I doubt anyone would risk getting caught with it over a single vote. If it is counterfeit, then one could put any picture they want on it anyway, so what is the problem ?