Modernizing Canada's Electoral System: What Drove the Creation of the National Register of Electors?

Abstract In 1997, Canada reformed its system of voter registration, adopting a permanent voters list. Existing accounts fail to adequately account for the political dynamics motivating the Chrétien government's decision to adopt a register. After decades of development in policy circles, a register was championed by policy entrepreneurs as a solution to growing problems with the enumeration system. Drawing on data from the parliamentary record, and the first‐hand experience of an Elections Canada official, this article argues that the pivotal factor in winning political support for the adoption of a register was the shortened electoral calendar it enabled.