[Curtman]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Curtman Curtman:

That's it. I'm taking my steel-toed workboots when I go to vote in case any Harperites get grabby with the ballot box.

No surprise that's what you, and Iggy take away from this. The ballot wasn't authorized but those kitten eating Conservatives want to stop democracy.

How would I feel if my vote was declared invalid because organizers screwed up? Real f*cking mad.

[andyt]

I thought Elections Canada organized elections. What's going on here?

[RUEZ]

Lemmy Lemmy:

Shame on him and shame on any Conservative supporters who think that Mr. Sona's actions are defensible.

Who's defending them? I don't support someone without proper authority trying to interfere in an illegal ballot. If you have read the Conservative news release it states that no one interfered with a ballot box.

[OnTheIce]

Lemmy Lemmy:

Okay, there are points on both sides of this issue and, as someone who was actually there in the University Centre on Wednesday, let me relate my take on this:
1. The UC is generally a place of chaos and, IMHO, is not the appropriate place to serve as a polling station.
2. In the UC there were Liberal materials present, but also Conservative, NDP, Green and Marxist-Leninist materials. Without making a scientific study of it, I would say that the Green materials were the most prevelent. But the UC is a big place and I did not see anything partisan right AT the polling area.
3. Generally speaking, university campuses are not places of strong support for conservatives because kids aren't conservative. Kids are about challenging status quo, not preserving it.

To me, since proper protocal is in question, the ballots should be destroyed and the students should be given another opportunity to cast their ballots in a more appropriate place. However, the larger issue is that is CLEARLY a case of the Conservative candidate recognizing a polling station that was unlikely to return ballots in his favour. So he took it upon himself to undermine the democratic process and prevent that element least likely to support him from being allowed to exercise their democratics rights. There is no "vindication for the Conservatives" here, Ruez, as Mr. Sona and his people are CLEARLY the ones who were committing the greater breach of the spirit of democracy and the election process. Shame on him and shame on any Conservative supporters who think that Mr. Sona's actions are defensible.

Mr. Sona didn't touch, remove or prevent anyone from casting their ballot.

Surely there was a better way he could have handlded himself besides looking like a giant turd.

I don't think we should by-pass the rules in terms of promotional material and improper voting areas just to appeal to young voters.

[Curtman]

$1:

Hale said special ballot polling stations are often held for groups of people who consistently display less-than-average voter turnouts, such as students, First Nations, seniors and the disabled.

“It’s never been challenged, not to my knowledge,” Hale said.

However, it was Wednesday and then again Thursday by the Conservatives.

Oh no! The youth might vote!

[martin14]

andyt andyt:

I thought Elections Canada organized elections. What's going on here?

Same, something not right here at all.

Lemmy, the UC where I went was a huge open space, with zero privacy.
Are you trying to say that in Guelph its same, and a polling station was
set up in a completely public area ?

If so, that's completely ridiculous.

[RUEZ]

Curtman Curtman:

$1:

Hale said special ballot polling stations are often held for groups of people who consistently display less-than-average voter turnouts, such as students, First Nations, seniors and the disabled.

“It’s never been challenged, not to my knowledge,” Hale said.

However, it was Wednesday and then again Thursday by the Conservatives.

Oh no! The youth might vote!

Again, you are without surprise, missing the entire issue here.

[Lemmy]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

Mr. Sona didn't touch, remove or prevent anyone from casting their ballot.

But clearly attempted to do those things.

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

Surely there was a better way he could have handlded himself besides looking like a giant turd.

I don't think we should by-pass the rules in terms of promotional material and improper voting areas just to appeal to young voters.

Agreed. As I said, I don't think this is an appropriate location for a polling station. There are plenty of areas on campus that are less chaotic and where the environment can be better controlled. But if the environment was the issue, then the students should be given the chance to vote elsewhere. Sadly for the Conservatives, a lot of students who weren't likely to vote in Guelph will be now. I'm sure Mr. Sona wishes he'd tried a different avenue for lodging his complaint, 'cause this road's gonna bite him in the ass.

Martin14 Martin14:

Lemmy, the UC where I went was a huge open space, with zero privacy.
Are you trying to say that in Guelph its same, and a polling station was
set up in a completely public area ?

In a word, yes. It's not completely open where the polling was done, but your mental image of a University Centre is likely pretty close to what we have at U of G.

[Curtman]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Curtman Curtman:

$1:

Hale said special ballot polling stations are often held for groups of people who consistently display less-than-average voter turnouts, such as students, First Nations, seniors and the disabled.

“It’s never been challenged, not to my knowledge,” Hale said.

However, it was Wednesday and then again Thursday by the Conservatives.

Oh no! The youth might vote!

Again, you are without surprise, missing the entire issue here.

I guess the Conservatives missed the entire issue too?

Elections Canada validates contested student ballot in Guelph

$1:

the Conservative Party released a statement saying “we applaud the decision not to disenfranchise University of Guelph students because of errors by the local Returning Officer. These student voters should not suffer because of mistakes by the local election officials.”

[1Peg]

SO maybe I can vote in a riding of my choosing?

[Gunnair]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Curtman Curtman:

That's it. I'm taking my steel-toed workboots when I go to vote in case any Harperites get grabby with the ballot box.

No surprise that's what you, and Iggy take away from this. The ballot wasn't authorized but those kitten eating Conservatives want to stop democracy.

Well come on, you have to admit having some CPC wannabe thug trying to muscle in and take a ballot box is just plain stupid and just another example of some hired ape making the party look bad.

Like we don't have enough of those on this campaign.

[Scape]

This was over 700 votes???

I understand the principals and all but should sleeping dogs be left alone? This seems like a tremendous PR blunder.

[Freakinoldguy]

Who hires and fires the employees at elections Canada, cause if it's the Government, this little bullshit fiasco will likely cost the head of that Dept his job, as it should.

Just because the people at Elections Canada are pissed at the Conservatives over another matter it doesn't mean they should be allowed to circumvent electoral proceedure just to get back at them.

As for this being a PR nightmare, it is, for both parties and the twits at Elections Canada. This stupidity taints our whole electoral process and basically puts every election result into question.