Drew North Consulting provides election and voting administration services for indigenous communities and their governments as well as societies and non-profit organizations in Canada and the US.
Our election teams are led by Graeme Drew, Certified Electoral Officer whose experience includes general elections, by-elections, special elections, and membership ratification processes involving referendum votes to adopt Custom Election Codes, Land Codes, De-Annexation Agreements, Impact Benefit Agreements, and Constitutional Frameworks.
Graeme Drew also worked on the most recent federal election for Elections Canada and the 2020 provincial election for Elections BC.
Click here for Graeme's BIO and election experience.
Our typical approach is to deliver the majority of services from our office to minimize costs, other than onsite visits to facilitate nomination meetings, information meetings, and member consultations as well as set up and operate polling stations in and around the host community on Election Day.
We have extensive experience using electronic (online and phone) voting systems and combining these voting methods with mail-in ballots and in-person polling stations.
We are open to recruiting qualified residents from the host community onto the election team in order to build local capacity and reduce costs vs flying in extra election staff.
Examples of election appointments have included:
Our election teams are led by Graeme Drew, Certified Electoral Officer whose experience includes general elections, by-elections, special elections, and membership ratification processes involving referendum votes to adopt Custom Election Codes, Land Codes, De-Annexation Agreements, Impact Benefit Agreements, and Constitutional Frameworks.
Graeme Drew also worked on the most recent federal election for Elections Canada and the 2020 provincial election for Elections BC.
Click here for Graeme's BIO and election experience.
Our typical approach is to deliver the majority of services from our office to minimize costs, other than onsite visits to facilitate nomination meetings, information meetings, and member consultations as well as set up and operate polling stations in and around the host community on Election Day.
We have extensive experience using electronic (online and phone) voting systems and combining these voting methods with mail-in ballots and in-person polling stations.
We are open to recruiting qualified residents from the host community onto the election team in order to build local capacity and reduce costs vs flying in extra election staff.
Examples of election appointments have included:
- Cowichan Tribes (Duncan, BC) - Appointed Electoral Officer for its 2017, 2019, and 2021 elections; duties included all tasks as defined by the Indian Act Election Regulations; voting methods for 3,000+ electors included mail-in ballots and in person voting at the local polling station; also retained to administer membership votes to approve its Custom Codes for Land, Citizenship, and Education.
- Dzawada'enuxw First Nation (Kingcome, BC) - Appointed Electoral Officer for its 2018 election; duties included all tasks as defined by its Custom Election Code; voting methods for 367 electors included mail-in ballots and in person voting at a local polling station.
- Deline Gotine Government (Deline, NT) - Appointed Electoral Officer to administer its 2018 and 2022 elections; duties included all tasks as defined by its Election Act and Self Government Agreement; voting methods for 400 electors included proxy ballots and voting in person.
- Tl'azt'en Nation (Ft. St. James, BC) - Appointed Referendum Officer to administer its 2018 De-Annexation vote among members; duties included all tasks as defined by the Indian Act Referendum Regulations; voting methods for 900+ electors included online voting, mail-in ballots, and voting in person at four polling stations in different communities.
- Katzie First Nation (Maple Ridge, BC) - Appointed Ratification Officer (twice) to administer its Land Code Vote in April 2016 and again in March 2017; duties included all tasks as defined in its Community Ratification Process document; voting methods for 400 electors included online voting, mail-in ballots, and voting in person at polling stations in three different communities.
- Gwichya Gwich'in Band (Tsiigehtchic, NT) - Appointed Referendum Officer in 2015 to administer a member vote to approve its first ever Custom Election Code following membership consultations (house visits, information meetings, and project website); voting methods for 180 electors included mail-in ballots, electronic (online and phone) voting, and in person.
- Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation (Lutsel K'e, NT) - Appointed Electoral Officer in 2014 to administer a membership vote that approved its first ever written Custom Election Code following extensive membership consultations; voting methods included mail-in ballots and voting in person at one of three polling stations in different remote northern communities.