Elections Canada re-sends 5,600 voter cards that were labelled with non-existent address

TORONTO — Elections Canada will be forced to re-send 5,600 voter cards to residents in the Toronto-St Paul’s riding after a mix-up led to them being told to vote at a non-existent address.

A spokesman for Elections Canada said the mix-up occurred when a returning officer changed the location to 44 Room Ave. — an address that does not exist in the riding or anywhere in the city.

Regional Media Advisor Dugald Maudsley said the organization distributes 26.5 million individual voter information cards to households across the country.

READ MORE: What to do if you spot a voter information card error

“Once the initial VICs are printed, there is a normal period of adjustment that occurs where, returning officers proceed to change some locations,” he said in a statement.

“These changes represent less than 1.5 per cent of the total voter information cards sent. These changes occur for a variety of reasons (e.g. safety, accessibility features, administrative).”

Maudsley said that in this case, the returning officer realized the address was incorrect on some of the cards and that a better site had been found.

“Approximately 5,600 replacement cards for these electors have already been issued,” he said. “Electors should receive them in the mail today (or Thursday by the latest).”

The new cards will be affixed with the words “replacement card” in the bottom right-hand corner and should be used instead of the old cards on election day.

Maudsley said Elections Canada is encouraging voters to check their website for the most up-to-date information on voting locations.