After the official opposition came out with claims of voting irregularities in B.C.’s provincial election last year, the BC Conservatives are now calling for a formal police investigation.
Last week, Conservative Leader John Rustad called for an independent review of the 2024 election, claiming that a team looking into the party’s loss found several “irregularities,” potentially altering the final results.
Amongst the claims, Rustad alleged that a third party was used at a care facility located “just 80 yards across the road” from a polling station, where 21 mail-in votes were supposedly cast.
The care home in question was surprised to hear about the complaints when contacted by CityNews on Thursday.
“I’m not aware of anyone coming and interviewing our people to gather this information, so I don’t really know what their sources are,” said Balgit Kandola, Argyll Lodge’s director of care.
In a statement on Monday, Steve Kooner, Official Opposition critic for the Attorney-General and Conservative MLA for Richmond-Queensborough says Elections BC has “contradicted” Kandola’s statements.
“It is clear that things are not adding up here,” Kooner said. “It’s time for the police to investigate potential offences under the Elections Act.”
Kooner says that Elections BC has “maintained that voters must individually request ballot packages” and that the “inconsistencies between Kandola’s statements and Elections BC’s response opens up the possibility that Section 104.01 of the BC Election Act has been contravened.”
“We read in the media statements from Argyll Lodge, such as ‘Every time there’s an election, either provincial or federal elections, the commission, they contact us, they probably have their offices in the neighbourhood, and they’ve always delivered their ballots here,’” said Kooner.
“These statements are absurd on their face,” Kooner said. “Neither Elections BC nor Elections Canada ‘deliver’ ballots in bulk to licensed addiction and recovery facilities, certainly not 21 ballots. Elections BC has already refuted this claim, quickly and clearly.”
Kandola told CityNews last week that their clients have been voting in the same manner for years.
“I’ve been here for over 30-some years,” she said. “Clients are free to make their own choices. We only help people who have a language barrier. But again, in no way shape or form are we able to influence people’s decisions as to who they are going to cast their vote for.”
The director outlined how residents cast their votes, explaining that staff will ask them initially if they do want to cast a ballot, and they are provided with ballots from Elections BC. “That is their choice… After that they are collected in the sealed envelope and dropped off at the elections office.”
Rustad had also claimed that one of the “more disturbing things” found by their team occurred in the Surrey-Guildford riding including a case where someone was able to vote twice.
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