Who manages the Election?
The PCMNO appoints an independent, non-partisan Chief Electoral Officer who is charged with operation Elections for the MNO. The Chief Electoral Officer for MNO Election 2020 is MNO Citizen Paul DeVillers. Paul is a former Canadian MP and cabinet minister who represented Ontario riding of Simcoe North in the House of Commons from 1993 to 2005. He also serves as Chair of the Board of the Métis Voyageur Development Fund.
The Chief Electoral Officer can be reached toll free at 1-800-263-4889 extension 344, or by e-mail at election@MetisNation.org.
For MNO Election 2020, the Chief Electoral Officer has contracted an independent, Indigenous-owned, third-party election services company called OneFeather to execute the electronic and telephone voting. OneFeather’s founder and CEO is Lawrence Lewis. OneFeather has more than 20 years of elections management experience, is a leader in Indigenous election administration, and a pioneer of electoral technology and best practices.
Where can I find the rules surrounding the Election?
Elections of the Métis Nation of Ontario are governed by the MNO Electoral Code: Part A. The most recent version of this Code is dated August 24, 2019, reflecting amendments made at the 2019 MNO AGA.
It is also governed by the Métis Nation of Ontario Policy #2019-003: Policy On Electronic and Telephone Voting (August 2019).
NOTE: Due to COVID-19, the Chief Electoral Officer revised some of the dates in the Code. They can be found in his March 18 Memo.
What are the positions up for election?
PCMNO
- PCMNO Executive positions including: President, Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer
- Regional Councilors: one from each of the nine regions
- Post-Secondary Representative
- Youth Representative
MNO Youth Council
- Chair of the MNOYC
- MNOYC regional youth representatives: one from each of the nine regions
MNO Veterans Council
- President
- Chair
- Sgt-at-arms
- Secretary/Treasurer
- Senator for Veterans
- Women’s Representative
NOTE: PCMNO Senators and Executive Senator (who sits on PCMNO Executive) are elected through a separate process, at the AGA following this election. As per section 6.11 of MNO Electoral Code: Part A:
6.11 Each community council may elect a senator pursuant to the MNO Electoral Code: Part B. Those senators elected to sit on their community councils, together with the senators currently serving on the PCMNO, and any senators who have served in the past on the PCMNO, who are in attendance at a general assembly, shall, by means of a process which shall be determined by themselves, choose from among themselves four (4) senators to sit on the PCMNO, and from among those four shall also choose a senator who shall sit on the Executive Committee.
Members of the MNO Women’s Council, and any vacancies after the June 1 election will also be elected at the next AGA.
Who are the candidates in the election?
Candidates will be announced Monday, May 4, 2020 at www.metisnation.org/election
Acclamations (where only one Candidate was nominated for a position) will be announced by the Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at www.metisnation.org/election.
When can I vote?
Voters have the choice to vote online or by telephone. Both voting options will be will be available from May 5th (12:01AM Eastern Time) to June 1, 2020 (6:00PM Eastern Time).
How can I vote?
All eligible voters – whether or not they receive a letter by mail or email – can visit the website https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno to activate their profile, verify their eligibility, and to receive additional voting instructions and their unique PIN to vote electronically or by phone.
For assistance, please use the red “Help” button located near the bottom of the https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno webpage or call OneFeather at this toll free number 1-855-458-5888.
All eligible voters – whether or not they receive a communication – can visit the website https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno to activate their profile, verify their eligibility, and to receive additional voting instructions and their unique PIN to vote electronically or by phone.
For assistance, please use the red “Help” button located near the bottom of the https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno webpage or call OneFeather at this toll free number 1-855-458-5888.
Why are there no in-person polling stations for MNO Election 2020?
On April 6, 2020, a decision was made by the Chief Electoral Officer to cancel in-person polling stations for MNO Election 2020.
This decision was not made lightly. It was made because with COVID-19 restrictions on travel and congregating, it remains impossible to train the election officials to staff the polls. It is also made to ensure that there is no risk to the most vulnerable in the population namely our elders and anyone with underling medical conditions or compromised immune systems. It could be a very long time before these vulnerable citizens could safely attend the polls. Democracy demands that fair and open elections are to be held for defined terms and in this case the four-year terms have expired, and any extended postponements would be tenuous.
I need help voting. What can I do?
If you need assistance voting on the on the OneFeather website, visit https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno and press the red “HELP” button located near the bottom of the page.
If you would like help voting by telephone, you can call OneFeather at this toll free number 1-855-458-5888. If the problem is that you are not on the voters list, OneFeather will reach out to the Chief Electoral Officer to help verify your eligibility to vote.
If you have questions about the election rules, you can contact the Chief Electoral Officer Paul DeVillers toll free at 1-800-263-4889 extension 344, or by e-mail at election@MetisNation.org.
What is OneFeather?
OneFeather is an independent, Indigenous-owned, third-party election services company that was contracted by the Chief Electoral Officer to execute the electronic and telephone voting. OneFeather’s founder and CEO is Lawrence Lewis. OneFeather has more than 20 years of elections management experience and is a leader in Indigenous election administration and pioneers of electoral technology and best practices.
MNO’s online voting site https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno and the telephone voting service is also managed by OneFeather. For assistance voting online or by telephone phone please use the red “Help” button located near the bottom of the https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno webpage or call OneFeather toll free at 1-855-458-5888.
I didn’t get a letter about how to vote. What do I do?
All eligible voters – whether or not they receive a letter by mail or email – can visit the website https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno to activate their profile, verify their eligibility, and to receive additional voting instructions and their unique PIN to vote electronically or by phone.
For assistance, please use the red “Help” button located near the bottom of the https://onefeather.ca/nations/mno webpage or call OneFeather at this toll free number 1-855-458-5888.
Voters have the choice to vote online or by telephone. Both voting options will be will be available from May 5th (12:01AM Eastern Time) to June 1, 2020 (6:00PM Eastern Time).
I tried to vote for my Regional Councillor (or my Regional Youth Representative) but there were no candidates listed. Why?
If no candidates put their name forward to run for the position, or if only one candidate put their name forward for the position, there will be no voting for the position. Acclamations (where only one Candidate was nominated for a position) will be announced by the Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 at www.metisnation.org/election.
Is OneFeather electronic and telephone voting secure?
OneFeather founder Lawrence Lewis prepared a Summary of Security Protocols for Electronic & Phone Voting for the Chief Electoral Officer which details security in place for Electronic and Telephone voting.
Posted: May 4, 2020