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When Elections Canada mails out Voter Information Cards this fall, a new sentence in bold letters will appear at the bottom: Please note that this card is not a piece of ID.

This means that on election day, tens of thousands of people will likely turn up at their polling station, voter cards in hand, only to learn that they can’t vote.

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In the last election, 400,000 Canadians used these cards to identify themselves. Another 120,171 had someone, usually a neighbour or relative, vouch for their identity.

This time there will be none of that, thanks to the Fair Elections Act passed by the Conservative government last year.

If you see lines of angry, confused people at your polling station on Oct. 19, you can thank Pierre Poilievre, minister of democratic reform.

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Experts warned that Poilievre’s plans would make it harder to vote. Citizens rallied and opposition MPs filibustered, but Poilievre, a talking point in a tailored suit, would hear none of it. He insisted the changes were necessary because of the the threat of voter fraud.