Halifax woman says it's becoming too hard to vote

A Halifax woman says it's becoming too difficult to vote after trying repeatedly to get on the voters list.

Rose Allen voted Tuesday in a special poll but not without a lot of frustration and effort.

"I actually had to register four times with Elections Canada before my name appeared on the voters list," she said.

She said she had a feeling there would be trouble voting after recently moving from one apartment in Halifax to another but she never imagined it would be so difficult.

Allen visited her candidate's headquarters after the move to make sure she was still on the list.

She wasn't so she went home and registered online at electionscanada.ca

The online form told her she was successful and that her name was on the list but when she went back to her candidate's office she discovered it wasn't.

The fourth time turned out to be the charm.

"Democracy should be a lot easier; however, you do what it takes to participate," she said.

Registering online doesn't always work

Elections Canada spokesperson Francoise Engeuhard said registering online doesn't always work.  

Voters are warned on the website: "The online voter registration service accommodates certain address types only."

There have been complaints about it in the past, but Engeuhard said it's important voters know they will not be turned away at a polling station.

"Our job is telling people how they can vote — making sure they know they can vote," Engeuhard said. 

Voters who are not registered can still do so before they cast their ballot, provided they have two pieces of ID, Engeuhard said — noting that with 26.5 million voters on the list, some mistakes are unavoidable.