Before heading to the polls it’s always a good idea to double check a few things — your government issued ID, your polling station, and your eligibility..A judge in Alberta has given a $1,750 illegal voting fine to a woman in Sylvan Lake, Alta. The maximum penalty for voting when you’re ineligible under federal law is $50,000, plus three months jail time, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..Brenda Cherry said she was confused after receiving a card in the mail instructing her where she can cast a ballot. She was also misinformed about longtime permanent residents being entitled to vote even if they didn’t have Canadian citizenship..An investigator for the Court acknowledged this was mainly “just a misunderstanding.” Similarly, Chief Justice Mary Moreau of Court of Queen’s Bench upheld a conviction under the Election Act for an American who voted in the 2019 provincial election..Cherry’s ballot was case in the Alberta riding of Innisfail-Sylvan Lake. The UCP won the seat with 75% of the popular vote..Similar illegal voting offenses have seen large ranges in penalties from community service all the way up to the maximum $50,000 fine. Since the 2015 federal election, there have been 26 charges of fraudulent voter behaviour..In 2019, Elections Canada used Immigration Canada data to verify if people on the registry are Canadian citizens or not. During the Alberta case, convictions were made after investigators checked immigration records..Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault was unable to tell reporters exactly how many cases of illegal voteing occurred in the Canadian federal elections..Citing having to open “more than 68,000 poll bags from the 2015 general election alone,” Perrault said “this would be a massive undertaking.”.Senator Linda Frum described the levels of illegal voting as “shocking.” She referenced the small amount of coaxing it would take to flip many ridings’ majorities..“What if only 5% of these people voted in 2015? That could affect the outcomes of an election, and certainly the result in a riding,” said Frum..“They’re not going to bother checking?” asked Frum. “Is there no responsibility on the part of Elections Canada?”.Thankfully, major cases of voter fraud haven’t been prevalent since the 1800s. In 1878, the worst case of illegal voting in a federal campaign occurred..During the 1878 federal election, prosecutors found 3,600 illegal votes. It was dubbed the “most villainous outrage ever perpetrated on the electors of Canada,” for having returning officers stuff a ballot box in one polling station with a false bottom..Jackie Conroy is a reporter for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
Before heading to the polls it’s always a good idea to double check a few things — your government issued ID, your polling station, and your eligibility..A judge in Alberta has given a $1,750 illegal voting fine to a woman in Sylvan Lake, Alta. The maximum penalty for voting when you’re ineligible under federal law is $50,000, plus three months jail time, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..Brenda Cherry said she was confused after receiving a card in the mail instructing her where she can cast a ballot. She was also misinformed about longtime permanent residents being entitled to vote even if they didn’t have Canadian citizenship..An investigator for the Court acknowledged this was mainly “just a misunderstanding.” Similarly, Chief Justice Mary Moreau of Court of Queen’s Bench upheld a conviction under the Election Act for an American who voted in the 2019 provincial election..Cherry’s ballot was case in the Alberta riding of Innisfail-Sylvan Lake. The UCP won the seat with 75% of the popular vote..Similar illegal voting offenses have seen large ranges in penalties from community service all the way up to the maximum $50,000 fine. Since the 2015 federal election, there have been 26 charges of fraudulent voter behaviour..In 2019, Elections Canada used Immigration Canada data to verify if people on the registry are Canadian citizens or not. During the Alberta case, convictions were made after investigators checked immigration records..Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault was unable to tell reporters exactly how many cases of illegal voteing occurred in the Canadian federal elections..Citing having to open “more than 68,000 poll bags from the 2015 general election alone,” Perrault said “this would be a massive undertaking.”.Senator Linda Frum described the levels of illegal voting as “shocking.” She referenced the small amount of coaxing it would take to flip many ridings’ majorities..“What if only 5% of these people voted in 2015? That could affect the outcomes of an election, and certainly the result in a riding,” said Frum..“They’re not going to bother checking?” asked Frum. “Is there no responsibility on the part of Elections Canada?”.Thankfully, major cases of voter fraud haven’t been prevalent since the 1800s. In 1878, the worst case of illegal voting in a federal campaign occurred..During the 1878 federal election, prosecutors found 3,600 illegal votes. It was dubbed the “most villainous outrage ever perpetrated on the electors of Canada,” for having returning officers stuff a ballot box in one polling station with a false bottom..Jackie Conroy is a reporter for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
