Mail-in voting applications have raised eyebrows

The official overseeing Surrey’s municipal election next month said his office contacted police last week over suspicions of “unlawful activity” in connection with mail ballots, although he emphasized that the electoral process hasn’t been compromised.

Last Friday, a local group called Wake Up Surrey publicly shared a letter of complaint to the Surrey RCMP, outlining what they called “a well-co-ordinated election fraud scheme underway within the South Asian community attempting to orchestrate voting to one or more of the municipal parties.”

But even before Wake Up Surrey publicly posted its complaint Friday and it subsequently became the subject of news reports, City of Surrey election officials had already raised red flags, Surrey’s chief elections officer, Anthony Capuccinello Iraci, told reporters Monday.

In order to vote by mail, a Surrey voter must complete an application and deliver it to City Hall.

Some of those applications reviewed last week “raised the suspicions of myself and the deputy chief election officer in that we felt there was unlawful activity going on,” Capuccinello Iraci said, though he declined to answer how many of the 160 applications received so far were considered suspicious or what about them, specifically, raised concerns.

As a result of those concerns, Capuccinello Iraci said, his office contacted the B.C. Ministry of Municipal Affairs around midday Friday, and a ministry official advised that they contact the RCMP, which theydid.

The Surrey RCMP is currently assessing a “third-party complaint of alleged election fraud,” as well as investigating “concerns of possible unlawful activity in the mailballot registration process from Surrey’s chief elections officer,” said Surrey RCMP spokesman Sgt. Chad Grieg.

In late August, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs sent a letter to all the police services in B.C., outlining the role of police in local elections.

“For the most part, general local elections will not need any police involvement.

“However, in some unique circumstances, a local CEO or the public may call on the police. Local police may have a role in investigating alleged election offences,” said the ministry’s letter.

“Based on a complaint, it would be up to the local police to determine if an investigation is necessary,” it continued.