Veiled Muslims Still Allowed to Vote in Canada

So what's the point of having a law?

Is it just for show?

Is this premature capitulation?

Muslim women can remain veiled for Canadian vote

TORONTO (Reuters) - Muslim women who are completely veiled will still be allowed to vote in Canada, despite a new law tightening up requirements for voter identification, a federal elections official said on Thursday.

The amended Canada Elections Act, passed in June, now requires all voters in federal elections to prove their identity and residential address when they show up to vote.

The first option listed by the federal agency Elections Canada is to show one piece of government-issued photo identification such as a driver's license.

Veiled Muslims showing such photo identification will have other options, Elections Canada spokesman John Enright said.

"Either you unveil, produce a second piece of identification (from a list of identification approved by Elections Canada) or get someone to vouch for you," he said.

The new requirements will be tested for the first time on September 17 in three federal by-elections in Quebec. Elections Canada reminded voters of the new system in statements this week as advance voting starts this Friday.

Controversy over veiled voters erupted in Quebec's provincial elections earlier this year, but Enright does not expect it to be an issue for a national vote.

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