OTTAWA—Chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand says Canada’s outdated voting process has reached a tipping point and must be modernized to meet the needs and expectations of voters. Mayrand says the Canada Elections Act is based on the way elections were conducted in the 19th century, when communication with the regions was limited, oversight was minimal and election administration was local.

Marc Mayrand wants to take Canada's " rigid and slow" voting system into the 21st century. ( Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS )

As a result, he says the process is entirely manual, rigid and slow. In last fall’s election, he says the cumbersome procedures resulted in long lineups at advance polls. Mayrand is recommending a number of reforms to bring the process into the 21st century.

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For instance, he says voter information cards should include bar codes that can be electronically checked as soon as voters show up at polling stations, rather than forcing voters to wait in line for a poll worker at a specific table to strike their name off a paper list.