Keep pressing for manual recount

Dear editor: Last spring, Helen Trevors and James Miller and I had a meeting with the new director of corporate services at City Hall about the mechanics of the next civic election.

Amongst the issues discussed at this meeting were:

The city advertising for scrutineers and allowing candidates to pick from a vetted list; training scrutineers in an evening session so they know what their responsibilities are and exactly what they can and cannot do, rather than them undertaking this position with no knowledge of what their duties; rights and responsibilities to the candidates.

Two polling stations plus advance polling days; the City providing chairs, eliminating the need of voters to stand in lineups waiting to vote; sufficient staff hired to eliminate line ups (voting should not be an endurance contest for seniors or the disabled); giving out numbers so when voters are waiting they won’t lose their place in the lineup just because they sit.

Mail-in ballots for voters in the residential community care and retirement homes that will allow the mobility challenged to participate in the election; their right to vote was denied in the last civic election as no provision was made to enable them to vote.

Also and most importantly a manual recount was requested after the election in addition to the machine count. This would allay any citizen fears that their vote wasn’t counted or the fears of some that these machines could be tampered with or that the election results were tampered with in any way.

While most of the above is at the discretion of the director of corporate services, providing it falls within the Community Charter and can be provided for within the budget, the manual count is a financial issue requiring the assent of council.

A preliminary count by machine could be released the night of the election followed by a manual count after the election, which would cost $4,500 to $6,500 – a minimal cost to protect voters.

Council will hear the presentation from the director of corporate services on Tuesday, June 5 at the 1 p.m. session. We need your physical presence and support to ensure that council understands that the voters in Penticton consider this issue important and that it merits their attention.Elvena Slump

Penticton