Calling election scrutineers

Dear Editor: Last spring Helen Trevors, James Miller and I met with City Hall staff requesting changes to the coming civic election. We requested an arrangement for sufficient scrutineers to cover the election.

Favourable treatment of scrutineers was requested on the same level as election staff so that scrutineers would be made to feel welcome; as well as seating arrangements to make their job as easy as possible: After all, unlike election staff, volunteers do not get paid for their time.

City Hall acceded to our request as long as they were able to train said scrutineers in correct behaviour in election polling stations. The candidates will have a list of trained scrutineers made available to them and they may pick any volunteer they wish.

Scrutineering is a time-honoured position and federal parties give full credit to the valuable contribution that scrutineers make to an honest election process. I urge the candidates in the coming election take full advantage of this opportunity and select a scrutineer from the list.

It doesn’t matter which scrutineer you choose, because their job is to act as policemen of an election. They are not there to support any one candidate or politically involve themselves in the election.

Scrutineers are there to protect the rights of the candidate and the citizens to a fair and honest election. They are there to see that the vote is properly tallied and counting machines and memory cards are properly secured when not in use, that election boxes are securely held and available if a recount is necessary.

Helen, James and I have done everything we could to ensure this election is trouble free and the rights of the candidates and the citizens are protected.

It is now your turn to volunteer as ordinary citizens to scrutineer and as candidates to ensure that you choose a scrutineer to protect your interests and that of the other candidates.

City Hall will only be involved in the training. The rest is up to us. Contact Laurie Darcus at Laurie.Darcus@penticton.ca to register for the training class. Only those scrutineers that are trained will be on the list. Register now as the training session will be held shortly. Many hands make light work.

We will attempt to organize shifts and arrange polling times so all the pertinent times are covered.

We have worked hard to protect your interests please don’t let us down in this. Elvena Slump

Penticton