New technology could help more First Nations elections

A Saskatchewan native community is acting as a trailblazer by adopting new technology to curb voter fraud. This move can hopefully inspire more communities to do likewise.
Published on April 8, 2013

In an effort to curb voter fraud, the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan is dispatching new voter tracker technology, although they are mum on the exact details.
The larger band has eight communities, so band administration were concerned about members voting twice.

Elections have traditionally been a sore spot on many First Nations communities, where often times elections are contested amid allegations of vote buying and fraudulent practices.

However, the average band members who participate in our annual Aboriginal Governance Index have shown growing confidence in band elections. In fact, on page 21 of the final report, we see that 60 per cent of the respondents on Prairie bands replied “Definitely” when asked whether votes were counted fairly.

Perhaps if more bands adopt newer technologies, this confidence has go even higher.

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