Keep election under scrutiny

Dear editor: I contacted Laurie Darcus at City Hall and asked her how many people had signed up for scrutineer training. She tells me that out of some 10,000-plus electors only 10 people have cared enough to volunteer to scrutineer the coming civic election.

Training is not onerous. One meeting will ensure that everyone knows what they can and cannot do during the election. The candidates will be told when the scrutineer training is and be invited to attend.

Laurie at City Hall and Helen Trevors, James Miller and I have worked very hard to resolve some of the issues in the past that many people have complained about in local elections.

In order for this to work together seamlessly it requires people to volunteer to scrutineer and it requires that the candidates ensure that their best interests are served by selecting scrutineers. Candidates should allow these volunteers to set up a schedule so that the polls are covered during all the critical times.

If people don’t volunteer to scrutineer and candidates fail to choose two scrutineers each then the few volunteers will have to work long hours to cover the election or leave critical times uncovered. This is not fair to anyone. If enough volunteers agree to scrutinize then two hour shifts should be possible providing the candidates can see the benefit of having an independent person overseeing the vote to ensure the veracity of the vote.

If the citizens of Penticton don’t care enough to volunteer to scrutineer and the candidates won’t co-operate then these changes that we have made in the operation of the election will most likely fail and all this hard work will have been for nothing.

So now it is up to you. We have done what we can to ensure that this election is successful and worry-free for the citizens of Penticton and the candidates that are running. I encourage voters to volunteer to scrutinize and candidates to select scrutineers to take care of their interests.

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit understood the value of scrutineers when he offered to appoint me as his volunteer. Surely the rest of the candidates can do their bit for democracy.

To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers.

Anyone wishing to volunteer to scrutinize should contact Laurie Darcus at Laurie.Darcus@penticton.ca or call City Hall and ask to speak to Laurie. Elvena Slump

Penticton