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enumerator
DCHP-2 (Sep 2012)
1n. — Politics, Administration
someone who prepares the list of those eligible to vote in an election.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — In Canada, the general meaning of 'to produce a list' has been narrowed to refer to the production of electoral rolls. In Canada, as in other countries, the word and its derivatives are also used for censuses. The noun seems to be the oldest variant in election contexts (see the 1900 quotation).
See also COD-2, s.v. "enumerator", which is marked "Cdn", Gage-1, s.v. "enumerator" (1).
See also COD-2, s.v. "enumerator", which is marked "Cdn", Gage-1, s.v. "enumerator" (1).
Quotations
1879
The first business before the court was the revision of the voters lists within its jurisdiction. There was but one enumerator present at the revision, Mr. S. Slater, for St. Andrews.
1900
The census would be as of one particular day throughout Canada, and therefore more accurate. At the same time, the rate of pay per name might be less by reason of the more limited area to be covered by the enumerator, so that the Government might perhaps save expense and get a better return in this way.
1917
In every polling subdivision in the Dominion an enumerator will have to set to work revising the electoral districts.
1926
They intimated that this might be a means of squaring accounts with Liberal Opposition in 1922, which levelled so much criticism at the enumerator list for the 1921 census.
1937
Up in the North country voters are sometimes hard to find in the large and unorganized territories. Chief Enumerator George Carmichael, at left, of Kenora, found hundreds of new ones for the recent election, but spent two months travelling by airplane, train and canoe to do it.
1962
The candidate for the party that holds the seat selects the first of each pair of enumerators and the candidate for the party that came next in the previous election, selects the second.
1980
That, he explains, means the party can also name and use the approximately 650 scrutineers, enumerators and poll clerks.
1989
Hamel's report contains several horror stories from the last election, including enumerators who did everything from solicit political donations at the door to showing voter lists to candidates before the returning officers.
1996
Alberta's chief electoral officer has reassured voters their privacy will be protected as enumerators begin a month-long effort to create a permanent voters list.
2v. — derived form enumerate, Politics, Administration
to prepare the list of eligible voters in an election.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — The verb seems to be a derivation from the noun, see meaning 1. Gage-3 includes "enumerate" (3), which is marked "Cdn.", and ITP Nelson marks "enumerate" (3) as "Chiefly Canadian".
Quotations
1896
T.G. Lauder leaves for the Landing on Saturday to enumerate the voters there. T.G. Lauder has been appointed enumerator for the Athabasca Landing district.
1917
The case of Wostok, a prosperous and loyal Russian settlement in the Victoria riding, calls for particular attention. The enumerator in this poll got himself into the limelight at the start by refusing to enumerate anyone. [...] The suspicion that a large number of the farmers favored the Liberal candidate appears to have been the reason.
1940
For the purpose of the election, "it will not, in most cases, be necessary to enumerate the names of members of the military, naval and air forces of Canada, who happen to be stationed or residing in any of the polling divisions of your electoral district," the letter informed returning officers.
1966
The threat to call an unnecessary election, the refusal to re-enumerate voters, the existence of political bagman [sic] like Mr. Williamson and Mr. Gunderson, gerrymaking provincial ridings [...]
1978
At present we enumerate every two years for municipal elections and generally every four years for each of the provincial and federal, so we average at least one enumeration a year.
1981
University students who went home last week during reading week and were not enumerated for the Ontario election on March 19 can put their names on the voters' list by reaching their riding returning officer.
1989
Door-knockers will also enumerate voters for the October municipal election for mayor, aldermen and school board trustees.
2006
He costed out the government's plan and arrived at a startling figure -- as much as $60 million to enumerate the voters and settle the STV question once and for all. He also noted a number of problems with the brief period there is between the proposed November 2008 referendum and the potential start of an election campaign under different ground rules a few months later.
3n. — derived form enumeration, Politics, Administration
the process of preparing the list of voters. See meaning 1.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — See meaning 1.
Quotations
1879
The enumeration in the Pembina Mountain District is concluded, with this result: Mountain electoral division, John Montague, enumerator, 802 voters; Dufferin South, A.J. Moore, 500; Dufferin North, C.V. Helliwell, 647.
1908
Political lightning commenced to flash here today when the charge was made by the local Conservatives that the Liberal enumerators have padded the voters' lists for the unorganized districts in the neighborhood of the Transcontinental Railway. [...] A Bi-partisan Enumeration. The alleged padding of the list was done [...] in New Liskeard.
1920
A statement handed out by the Ontario government contains a heady reflection upon the Hearst policy of carrying on elections by enumeration of voters.
1934
A preliminary study of the results of the recent enumeration throughout the Dominion for the basic lists for the next general election indicates a large increase in the number of people eligible to vote or in the number of those showing a deeper interest in public affairs.
1955
The committee was unanimous in rejecting a suggestion that the-six-day [sic] period allowed under the Canada Elections Act for the enumeration of voters be extended to two weeks.
1963
In spite of such secrecy, enumeration went much more smoothly this year than in 1962, probably because the enumerators were more experienced.
1977
Qualified Ontario voters who missed getting their names on voters lists can do so this week during a special enumeration. This special enumeration begins today and continues through Saturday. It is for voters who were missed during the initial enumeration and for those whose names are not posted on voters' lists in the electoral area where they live.
1985
Yesterday was the final day of enumeration for the Nov. 12 municipal election and the preliminary voting list is now being prepared.
1997
Enumeration was done by mail early last spring, so if people didn't mail in their filled-out forms, they're not on the list.
2009
He said current voters lists are not as accurate as the old enumeration system, in which enumerators went door to door at election time making sure eligible voters were on the list and letting them know an election was going on and where to vote.
"Now, they [people] just want to watch the Food Channel or the Golf Channel. You can sail right through an election and not know it's happening."
References
- Gage-1
- Gage-3
- ITP Nelson
- COD-2
Images
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 19 Apr. 2016
Chart 2: Internet Domain Search, 19 Apr. 2016
Chart 3: Regional Domain Search, 19 Apr. 2016
