See Jane Run calls for Elections Act changes to improve candidate safety
Saint John, NB: The publication of election candidates’ home addresses is an impediment to political participation for some women and should be abolished.
Tiffany Mackay French, a lawyer and one of the co-founders of See Jane Run, an organization that encourages women to run as electoral candidates, is urging Elections NB to undertake amendment of the Elections Act to eliminate the requirement for making politicians’ home addresses public.
“For any election candidate, and especially for some women, the idea that their home address is made readily available to everyone in the community and beyond can be quite unsettling,” Mackay French says. “For some people, it might make the difference between offering to run as a candidate or not, and we think that should be addressed.”
Kelly VanBuskirk, lawyer for See Jane Run, has written to Elections NB on behalf of the organization to propose that the address publication requirements be abolished. Regarding concerns for the safety of politicians, he cites a study of the 2019 federal election that found 26% of politicians who participated at been subjected to threats over social media platforms and that threats of violence against politicians are increasing in Canada.
In the United Kingdom, amendments to parliamentary election rules made in 2009 provide candidates with the option of not having their home addresses disclosed publicly, with recognition that the returning officer in the electoral district is able to verify the candidate’s residency without publishing the address.
Mackay French argues that a similar provision in the New Brunswick legislation should be adopted.
“There was a time when constituents may have needed their representative’s address to mail them a letter. That is no longer our reality, and the Elections Act should be adjusted to reflect the way we communicate today.”
Election candidates who share this concern are encouraged to contact See Jane Run on Facebook or Elections NB.
