MLA blows whistle on ‘Yes’ side
People trying to get out the vote for proportional representation have inadvertently exposed a grey area in the rules for campaigning during the municipal election.
Members of Fair Vote BC, which is in favour of proportional representation, have been distributing campaign literature and talking to voters at advance polls during the municipal election campaign in Penticton, including at KVR Middle School last week.
That prompted a complaint to Elections BC from Penticton Liberal MLA Dan Ashton, who believes voting places are hallowed ground, even though the referendum and municipal election are unrelated.
“In my opinion, it’s undue influence on the voting public,” said Ashton.
And although he and the BC Liberals oppose proportional representation, Ashton said he would have complained even if it was the no side campaigning at the advance polls.
“I would have the same concerns. It does not belong in the process of another election,” he said.
Elections BC washed its hands of the problem, noting in a letter to Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson that although it has conduct of the referendum, civic elections are in the hands of local leaders, so it “has no oversight or regulatory role related to this type of activity.”
“Ultimately, it is up to local chief election officers to determine whether referendum campaigning in or near voting places is addressed by their relevant legislation,” the letter concludes.
Laurie Darcus, Penticton’s chief election officer, said her reading of legislation and direction from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Local Government Management Association determined that because the referendum is a provincial issue, she can’t direct campaigners to respect the usual 100metre buffer around voting places by which municipal candidates are bound.
Darcus did, however, receive direction from the LGMA to prohibit campaigning inside polling places and interfering with voters.
As a result, she has asked referendum campaigners to ensure they’re only providing information to people who have already voted.
Lori Goldman, a local organizer for Fair Vote BC who was distributing leaflets outside Thursday’s advance poll at the Penticton Seniors’ Drop-In Centre, said she had no trouble complying with Darcus’s request.
“We are really just giving information about what the choices are and why the government is doing this and how it could be a better system, a more updated system for voting which would give people more voice in government,” said Goldman.
Her team will also be out Saturday for general voting.
The referendum on proportional representation will be conducted by mail-in ballot. Voting packages will be sent out starting next week. Completed ballots must be received by Elections BC by Nov. 30.