[Newsbot]

Title: Conservatives want to dump Guelph U student votes
Category: Political
Posted By: Scape
Date: 2011-04-15 08:51:48
Canadian

[martin14]

here is the letter:

http://guelphmercury.blogs.com/files/le ... 4-2011.pdf


Press statement by the Conservatives:

http://www.conservative.ca/press/news_r ... e_campaign

$1:

The local campaign was denied the right to have its identified scrutineer observe the process – a denial of a basic electoral right. The local campaign also noticed that Liberal material was present in the polling area – a clear breach of the rules.

even better,

$1:

but the fact that the poll was not authorized at all. Pierre Boutet of Elections Canada informed our legal counsel that the Guelph poll was not authorized by Elections Canada.

If this is true, those ballots should be toast.

[saturn_656]

Looks like there are a few people down in Guelph who think the rules don't apply to them.

[Bacardi4206]

Did you see Ignaffias Politwitter post (front page on CKA), you'd think the future PM of Canada would get his facts straight before jumping on a issue. I guess the Liberal material in the polling stations makes it alright so long as it's Liberal.

[RUEZ]

I agree Bacardi. Iggy and Trudoh appear to be jumping right to conclusions. I hope election Canada looks into this and vindicates the Conservatives.

[OnTheIce]

Elections Canada has already said the votes will stand despite any rules that may or may not have been broken.

[RUEZ]

According to a CBC article, elections Canada has ruled that the special ballot wasn't pre authorized but what the hell we're gonna let the votes count anyway.

[Arctic_Menace]

1) The ballots were deemed legitimate.

http://www.leadnow.ca/en/hands-off-our-ballots

2)Elections Canada has done this before with the University of Guelph. You can read about it here:

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local ... -wednesday

[andyt]

Just another left leaning government agency is Elections Canada. Just as bad as the CBC. What we need is a free enterprise version to set things right. (right, get it?0

[RUEZ]

Arctic_Menace Arctic_Menace:

2)Elections Canada has done this before with the University of Guelph. You can read about it here:

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local ... -wednesday

Yes the original article says it has been done at least twice before. Apparently it's not that it was done but how it was done this time.

[martin14]

RUEZ RUEZ:

Arctic_Menace Arctic_Menace:

2)Elections Canada has done this before with the University of Guelph. You can read about it here:

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local ... -wednesday

Yes the original article says it has been done at least twice before. Apparently it's not that it was done but how it was done this time.

Well that gets back to denying the scrutineer and the partisan material.


Pretty sad how no one at Elections Canada seems to care about that.

[saturn_656]

OnTheIce OnTheIce:

Elections Canada has already said the votes will stand despite any rules that may or may not have been broken.

Translation:

"Yeah, you're breaking rules, but we don't give a shit. Have a nice day."

[Curtman]

$1:

“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.

Whalen also identified the man as Sona.

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.

[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.

[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.