Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Voter engagement

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, April 15, 2011 8:43am - 121 Comments

The Conservatives are challenging ballots collected at a University of Guelph polling station, this after a member of the local Conservative campaign allegedly tried to seize a ballot box.

Several University of Guelph students claim Michael Sona, the communications director for Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke, attempted to put a stop to voting at the special ballot held Wednesday. The students say Sona approached the Elections Canada balloting site claiming that the process unfolding at the location was illegal and at one point reached for but never took possession of a container with ballots.

“He tried to grab for the ballot box. I’m not sure he got his hand on the box, but he definitely grabbed for it,” said Brenna Anstett, a student, who at the time of the reported incident was sealing her second of two envelopes containing her vote. Student Claire Whalen was just about to receive her ballot just before 5 p.m. when the episode unfolded. “That’s when a guy came up and said it was an illegal polling station and that he was confiscating the ballots. And then he tried to take (the ballot box),” Whalen said.

Tags: Arthur Hamilton, conservatives, democracy, election, Election 2011, guelph, Michael Sona, University of Guelph

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modster99

Did he try to steal it?
The students say Sona approached the Elections Canada balloting site claiming that the process unfolding at the location was illegal and at one point reached for but never took possession of a container with ballots.

After reading this the second time, I would say that Sona stopped himself. It doesn't say that someone stopped him. AS a matter of fact, the CPC has the number of the box, as well as the number of the seals on the top and bottom of the box. Could he have reached for it, thought bad idea, and asked someone to turn it over for him? How else did the CPC get those numbers?

The more objectively I think about this, the more I am thinking Aaron is a bad reporter. These are questions I would have found out, or I wouldn't have run the story.

Patchouli

You do know this is a blog, right?

hosertohoosier

Incidentally, when the shoe was on the other foot in 2006, the Liberals intervened to stop voting at U of T, when – once again – Elections Canada rules were not being followed. Stopping ballot-stuffing is NOT voter suppression. Increasing voter turnout is only a good thing, if the new votes actually reflect the desires of those new voters.
http://business.highbeam.com/1758/article-1G1-140…
http://twitter.com/PJ_Lowry @PJ_Lowry

It's one thing to have a problem with something, but it's another to try to steal a ballot box. That Conservative employee should be arrested for trying to prevent people from voting. I hope police are on scene today to protect the voters and their rights.
Mike T.

The stuff about the ballot box certainly concerns me far more than the original complaint. Both should be investigated and dealt with appropriately.
Anon

This is taking Voter Suppression to a whole other level!
jonatwitan

yes.
BCer in Mtl

Maybe a coalition of groups??
s_c_f

Yes. The most important thing about elections in a democracy is the integrity of the process. If you lose that, you cannot get it back. Ever. It's the most important aspect. Ensuring that voting is on the up-and-up is absolutely essential.

I would feel very uncomfortable if polling stations started popping up left and right all over the place. Can you imagine stations showing up in the supermarket, in the bank, in the laundromat, at bus stops? The most obvious problem is the difficulty to ensure the integrity of them all. But that's not the only problem.

In fact, there is an undemocratic aspect to these university polling stations. Why should some special groups get special attention? If you target students, then what about other groups which have low turnout? Where does it end? Any special targeting at all will alter the results. It opens up all sorts of possible questionable practices. Can you imagine advance polling stations showing up in neighbourhoods known to be skewed towards one party or another? Nobody in a democracy should get preferential treatment.

Look at maps like this: http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/04/07/geek-out-elect…

With the example riding of Outremont, if you're NDP or Liberal, you obviously want as many polling stations as possible on your favoured side of town. Even if it happens to be a college or university.

Can you imagine the possibilities? Even consider the fact that different universities have different voting habits! Conservatives may get more votes from community colleges, liberals from universities, who knows?
Holly Stick

Ooh, special interest voters! Can't have that, especially if they might not vote for your candidate, eh? This democracy thing is highly overrated, right?
Holly Stick

An evul coalition of voters?
Blue

scf makes an intelligent point about the issue of the day.

HS reads little and write less.