NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair says with an election 18 months away, he's focusing on the federal government's election act overhaul.


He says the hotly debated legislation should be the focus of the next campaign because it could undermine the rules of democracy.


Mulcair says the governing Conservatives are more interested in restricting the right to vote than than giving people something to vote for.


The Conservatives have argued the proposed law is aimed at reducing electoral fraud, but Mulcair argues it will remove Elections Canada's ability to investigate problems.


Mulcair, in Halifax for the Nova Scotia NDP convention, also cites widespread criticism of the bill by electoral experts.


The NDP leader says he's aware the legislation is complex, but he insists Canadians are taking notice of the NDP's bid to thwart its passage.


He says several people approached him today at a local market in Dartmouth to discuss the bill, saying that's a sign that the NDP's message is getting through.