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2007 10 10
No Driver’s License, Lesser Service
I am one of those Torontonians whose driver’s license languishes in her wallet, expiry date long past. The picture is faded, the text is virtually unreadable, and it sports an address which is twelve years old. Although I have no desire to get my license once again, this does sometimes present a problem when photo i.d. is needed. I have had to sweet talk many a bank employee into accepting it. And I still have one of the old picture-less health cards, so no help there.
Being extra conscious of photo id requiring occasions, I made sure to check the Elections Ontario website before voting this evening to see what type of i.d. was eligible. I was glad to see that you could bring either one document that had your name, residential address and signature (such as a driver’s license or insurance policy), or bring two documents which cumulatively fulfilled these criteria (such as a debit card and a T4 statement). I opted for the one document option, and chose to bring a ‘loan or financial agreement with a financial institution.’ Just to be on the safe side, I also brought a credit card and telephone bill statement.
However, arriving at my poll, presenting the aforementioned ‘loan or financial agreement with a financial institution’, I was met with a confused look by the polling representative. As her eyes darted frantically over the document, I pointed out to her that this was my ‘loan or financial agreement with a financial institution’. She looked at me quizzically and asked me if I didn’t have “a driver’s license or something.” I told her that I had checked the Elections Ontario website prior to voting and had confirmed that this document was eligible as i.d. She gave me a stony look and asked me what else I had. When I showed her my credit card and phone bill, all was well, and the voting proceeded.
My question is this: what good is it if Elections Ontario accepts a wide variety of documentation to prove your identity, when the electoral officials at the polls don’t know the rules themselves? It worked out for me in this case, but what if I was one of the many in this city who are unable to obtain a credit card? I do not imagine that one of the lesser used acceptable forms of i.d. (such as ‘any document issued by a Band council in Ontario [established under the Indian Act]’) would be met with any less resistance.
I have put in a complaint to a very apologetic Elections Ontario employee, and will wait to see if anything comes of it. Understanding that these officials are ill paid and under-trained, my complaint is more with Elections Ontario than this particular woman. Should those of us who cannot or choose not to obtain driver’s licenses be treated like second class citizens? Why, out of a long list of eligible documents, should I be asked to provide only one? This further entrenches the view that everyone ‘should’ have a license, and that something must be wrong with those who do not. Surely those of us who choose not to drive in the city should be lauded instead of harassed by banks and provincial governments. Next election I’ll be bringing the eligible i.d. list to the polls. On foot, of course.
Presumably you have an OHIP card with a current expiry date? That satisfied all the requirements of ID (except if you have a non-photo card which the Auditor General of Ontario has pleaded with the government to eliminate)
First to Mark. If you read carefully, in the first paragraph Liza wrote that she has an old OHIP card. I’m also on Liza’s side in thinking that our over-dependence on the driver’s license as i.d. is a clear indicator of the ubiquity of car-driving in Canada.
It’s funny, because just last night I was having a conversation with my roommates here in Rotterdam, who are all European, and the topic of registering and generic id cards came up, which is a quasi-foreign concept to me. They asked me what we used in Canada for id and after a little thought I realised it was the driver’s license.
Also, the same stony gaze is given by bouncers outside of clubs when they ask for id and you show them your health card.
However, I’m pretty convinced that the tides are changing. Once more people move into our cities, and opt to go without cars, either our health cards will become the standard, or we’ll introduce a generic i.d. card.
Posted by on 10/11 at 11:13 AM
Seriously, this is getting a little carried away with the analysis. Whatever the rules and training are, if 99.99% of people do things a certain way, those involved with that process will get very used to it and comfortable with it and find any deviation from standard practice to be, well, a deviation.
The reliance on driver licenses is not because society is obsessed with cars, it’s just because these days a rapid form of ID is needed for many processes and the driver’s license happened to be the most convenient card that had your photo, name, signature, address and was backed by a senior governmental agency. The Social Insurance Number was never meant to be a tracking ID for all of life’s little tasks either, but since it is the only database that everyone was already in it also became standard.
It is very interesting that in Canada the health card is becoming an ID challenger. In the US no such card exists and the driver’s license is truly the only common form of ID that most people carry.
North American governments should get over their privacy concerns and just issue national ID cards, as the European nations do.
Posted by on 10/11 at 02:19 PM
Liza is quite right it is also worth noting that those living in poverty are less likely to have a driver’s licence or a credit card. It is an important principle that access to participations in election be upheld. Elections Ontario is responsible to train staff to be aware of what is considered acceptable ID.
Posted by on 10/11 at 08:47 PM
Chris Dowling, you miss my point. Yes, treating everyone equally and fairly is an important principle. The solution is NOT to try and train the staff, because you will fail for the reasons I gave above. If it is truly important for everyone to have an easy-to-use ID, then you should support a government ID card.
Posted by on 10/12 at 11:05 AM
I did miss the old OHIP reference – get a new OHIP card. It’s not like they charge you for it.
No-one has to learn to drive, it’s one more blow against healthcare fraud if your old one got stolen and everyone’s happy.
I worked as a District Returning Officer (DRO) on election day, so I was one of those people whose responsibility it was to check people’s ID as they came to vote.
The training we got was limited to a 2 hour training session two weeks before the election, and we were given a very detailed and clear training/reference manual that we were supposed to read in advance of the election. We also had TWO sheets, one of which was stuck right on the ballot box, that clearly listed all of the acceptable ID that people could provide. The training wasn’t really sufficient, but my poll was pretty quiet, so I had plenty of time to go step-by-step through the manual (which I hadn’t read in advance), and make sure I was following proper procedures with each voter.
Most people had their voter registration cards with them, which meant that pretty much any ID they provided was sufficient. For those without the registration card, I looked for something that would identify them as living at that address (it was a poll for a single apartment building). I only had one person without any ID. Following official procedures, that person was permitted to vote after swearing an oath. I think it is really important that voting is made as accessible as possible for people, while maintaining the integrity of the process.
So with respect to your experience, I fault your DRO, not Elections Ontario, and I hope you provided your address in your letter of complaint. I think Elections Ontario did a great job with the ID requirement—it was broad and flexible, but hopefully strict enough to keep people from voting twice, or for stealing someone else’s identity to vote. As far as their training goes, I would have found it helpful if they had set up a fake poll and had us practice our roles ahead of time. Instead we watched videos, and had a guy “lecture” us. It was good, but I still learn better by doing. And we got paid $200 for the day. I consider that more than fair.
I do have a few critiques of Elections Ontario. In addition to the popular referendum-related critiques, I also found that there needed to be more support/education for new voters. About 50% of my voters were new Canadians who had never voted before. They were educated and informed and knew who they wanted to vote for, but many were confused about what to do with their ballot once it was handed to them. The referendum ballot further confused those people. Fortunately, I was at a single poll with no one looking over my shoulder, so I was able to spend a little time explaining to people how things worked and guide them through the process (taking pains not to influence their vote, of course). It made my job incredibly satisfying. Another thing that needs to be improved, is ensuring that polls are as close to voters’ residences as possible. Voters made it very clear that having the poll in their building was a huge incentive to vote. But most buildings in my neighbourhood were not so lucky…
Hope that was helpful, and not too long-winded.
Posted by on 10/13 at 12:06 AM
As a scrutineer, I agree with Melissa: elections employees generally do a good job with less than perfect training.
As someone who spent twelve years as a non-driving adult, the expectation of a driver’s license got on my nerves, too. And with all due respect to Mark, the role of driver’s licenses in our society, the way we make the acquisition of a driver’s license our single universal puberty rite, for example, does have economic, political, and environmental implications.
Thank you Melissa for filling us in on the DRO experience. And I do indeed agree with John that the employees generally do a good job. I honestly don’t remember if I saw a list of acceptable ID that the DRO could refer to, but I do know that if there was one, I didn’t see even a willingness on her part to check. I did indeed give my address when filing my complaint, as it was over the phone (that person was very helpful and understanding.)I am glad to hear that at your poll a diligent DRO was at work!
And for Mark: although I am aware that I can obtain a health card with photo id for free, my point is (as Brenden and John have indicated) that the driver’s license has become so ubiquitous that it is demanded even in situations when photo id is not required; even when (as Chris has indicated) it means possibly excluding, or at the very least making feel like second class citizens, those who do not possess this document. Even when perfectly legal and acceptable id is being presented.
Posted by on 10/22 at 11:04 PM
Alberta issues official government id cards to anyone without a driver’s license. It’s as legitimate for purposes of identification as a driver’s license—except that you can’t drive with it. Maybe Ontario should look into this given the kinds of i.d. requirements coming into force for voting and even flying domestically.
