Elections run poorly

SD53 joins Penticton on list of needs improvement

Okanagan Similkameen School District 53 is the latest organization to run a less-than-adequate election. In a recent by-election for a vacant spot on the board, runner-up Penny Duperron suggested the election should be void because the board contravened the Local Government Act by not offering a second advanced polling station.

The board acknowledged the mistake, describing it as “an oversight” but were far from apologetic.

Casey Brouwer won the election with 251 votes, exactly 40 ahead of Duperron, but much of his support came from the one and only advanced poll. To suggest Duperron would have won had there been a second advanced poll is a stretch but it’s possible.

That’s not the point. When there are rules, they need to be followed.

In the case of the school system, a kid would get an “F” (if such a thing still exists) if this was a school project.

While we don’t want to point the finger at staff — they are the ones who run the elections — where were the trustees in all of this? (A convention in Vancouver? No, that was last weekend.) One of six trustees should have caught it. Where were Sam Hancheroff or Rob Zandee? Both have run for higher office.

Fortunately for SD53, the vote wasn’t close. What would have happened had Brouwer won by only two or three votes? There are other examples. Penticton’s municipal election was farcical. Although nothing from the Local Government Act was violated, common sense went out the window with one polling station, inadequate parking and failure to deliver a traveling ballot box to shut-ins. (The latter is considered a public service but it’s not mandated.)

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit’s attitude was, “get over it — we’ll do better next time.”

Going back eight years, Summerland was described by the Vancouver Sun as “a banana republic” for the way it ran its municipal election.

An election is something that shouldn’t be botched. It’s an expense taxpayers will never question.

Too much of the world doesn’t have the freedom to vote. There are still Americans alive today once denied the right to vote because they were either a woman or black.

The school system is always encouraging young people to become politically engaged, teaching them the importance of voting. Then the school district screws up an election.

It’s time for the provincial government to take elections out of the hands of municipal and school board staff. They’re busy enough. Organize municipal elections like Elections Canada — by a 100 per cent independent body. It also eliminates any perception of bias.

Until that happens, events like the ones mentioned will continually occur.