Candidates Concerned About Validity of EPSB Trustee Election Following Ballot Error – Edmonton | The Canadian News

The polls with incorrect ballots in Edmonton are causing concern about the upcoming election results for some candidates for members of the public school board of trustees.

Edmonton Elections said voters received ballots for the wrong districts from the public school board. The organization said it knows of 60 voters who spoke out on the wrong ballot, but admitted there may be more.

Read more:

Problem at the polls: Edmonton voters received incorrect ballots for the school board trustee

In an update Thursday afternoon, Edmonton Elections said the problem is believed to be linked to poll workers not updating the “where to vote” tool among voters. New processes were put in place Thursday to ensure correct ballots are delivered to voters, including an improved, easy-to-use “where to vote” tool.

Jan Sawyer, a candidate for trustee of the Edmonton Public School Board, said the situation remains frustrating, but added that there is not much to do until the election is over.

The story continues below the ad.

“I am concerned about validity. If an election is close, then I think someone would have a real reason to challenge it, ”Sawyer said. “There are some questions.”

“If people lose by big differences, it’s probably pretty easy. But elections are often held a few hundred votes apart. I don’t know what the solution to that is. “

Read more:

Indigenous voices running for a seat in Edmonton city hall

Sawyer said he spoke with a city representative from Edmonton Elections Thursday afternoon and asked if there would be a meeting between the trustee candidates, and was told no.

“I really believe that we all need to hear the same message together so we can be sure that we are all hearing the same thing,” he said.

Read more:

Outgoing Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson Reflects On His Time At City Hall

Trustee candidate Rebecca Graff-McRae said anything that may undermine the legitimacy of the result is something Edmonton Elections should be aware of.

“As candidates and voters, we want to put our faith that the system is accurate and reliable,” he said. “Once a vote is cast, it cannot be canceled and that is important for the integrity of the vote.”

The story continues below the ad.

But Graff-McRae said confidence could be restored with more transparency from the Edmonton election; he would like more information on the situation to be rectified and better communication for the candidates.

“We all found out on social media. I don’t think that should be the case, ”Graff-McRae said.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs said that although it has no role in the process, it is aware of the error.

“We understand that the Edmonton Elections have already taken steps to mitigate the situation from occurring in the future,” Press Secretary Justin Marshall said in a statement.

“If any candidate or elector wishes to challenge the legitimacy of an election, they will submit an application to the Tribunal of the Queen’s Court within six weeks after the election. The result of the challenge would be determined by the court. “

Edmonton Elections said it sent an email to all official candidates to inform them of the situation, as well as the steps it has taken to rectify the situation. He said he is “closely monitoring the situation and additional measures can be taken on a case-by-case basis.”

Graff-McRae said the answer is not enough for her.

“Most of the candidates still feel in the dark. We trust this assurance that it has been resolved. That doesn’t seem to be a solution to the error that was occurring, ”he said. “It feels very disturbing.”

The story continues below the ad.

With files from Sarah Ryan.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.



Reference-globalnews.ca

Leave a Comment