Mayor Ford accused of violating rules

Mayor Rob Ford has been accused of breaking city rules after he was kicked out of three advance polling stations late last week.

Mr. Ford, who is undergoing treatment for a rare type of cancer, was asked to leave polling stations on both Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, he was sent a letter from the city clerk informing him that he was breaking the Municipal Elections Act by appearing at the voting stations.

Mr. Ford visited a polling station in Ward 17 later Saturday and was again asked to leave. All three wards (he was in Ward 8 on Thursday and Ward 7 on Friday) are out of the ward where he is running for city councillor (Ward 2).

“He was asked to leave as only electors, elections staff and scrutineers are permitted at the voting location,” city spokesperson Jackie DeSouza said in an email. “The mayor was transporting an elector to the Ward 17 voting place at the J.J. Piccininni Community Centre, and came inside and was engaging with electors.”

The city said Mr. Ford, who has dropped out of the race for mayor and been replaced by his brother, Doug, eventually complied with all three requests to leave when asked.

City clerk Ulli Watkiss wrote to Mr. Ford: “I have been informed … [you] spent considerable time at the facilities talking to voters even after the voting staff requested you leave.”

The letter added: “Section 48(1) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (MEA) prohibits anyone in a voting place from attempting to directly or indirectly influence how a person votes.”

Voters said they saw the mayor taking pictures and chatting up other voters. Marisa Iacobucci, an Olivia Chow supporter, posted a photo of Mr. Ford in a polling station to Instagram with the message: “I cast my vote early and look who was in my way.”

Advance voting ended Sunday night, with this year’s election seeing a record number of early voters.

City officials say 161,147 eligible voters (about 10% of Toronto’s 1.6 million eligible voters) voted in advance polls compared with 77,391 in the last municipal election, in 2010.

Mr. Watkiss said the latest figures mark the highest advance vote in Toronto since amalgamation in 1998.

Voter turnout during Toronto’s last municipal election was 50.55%. The election is on Monday, Oct. 27.