CARMEL RICKARD: A win for expats
Canadians who live abroad will now be able to vote — a right SA citizens have had for a decade, but which Zimbabweans can only dream of
Thanks to a 2009 decision of the Constitutional Court, SA’s upcoming national elections will mark the 10th year in which South Africans living and working outside the country’s borders will be allowed to cast their vote while abroad. Despite complaints about how the system works and too few voting stations, the right has at least been established in SA, whereas in countries like Zimbabwe it is still far off. For Canada, also poised for an election later this year, it will be a new thrill. The supreme court there has just decided that it is unconstitutional to restrict which citizens may vote abroad. With a general election scheduled in the next nine months, all Canadians away at polling time and who have completed the necessary administrative work will now be able to vote from abroad. The two people at the centre of the case had been studying in the US and continue to work there. They tried to vote in Canada’s 2011 national elections, but the law said citizens could vote outside the...
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