Elections BC has admitted that it "failed" to follow procedure in the riding of Surrey-Guildford, where BC Conservative candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa lost to the BC NDP's Garry Begg by just 22 votes.The revelation comes months after the agency assured the public that everything had been done correctly.In response to a petition filed by Randhawa on June 17, Elections BC Chief Anton Boegman and Returning Officer Rana Malhi explained that on October 4 and 7, mail-in voting packages had been requested for 22 voters at Argyll Lodge, a 25-bed addiction and substance abuse recovery facility in Surrey. The same email address and phone number were used for all of them, though each used a different individual's social insurance number a unique identifier..Elections BC had previously decided to allow one person to assist others with their mail-in ballots, so long as they were appointed as an election official per the Election Act. The agency noted that upon receiving the requests, the vote by mail team "noticed the pattern of multiple requests originating from a single source and session," but that "the requests came from a care facility with resident individuals.""The vote by mail team decided to fulfill the requests from [redacted] to ensure the voters received their mail-in voting packages on time," the filing continued. "However, the team failed to follow-up with the district electoral officer, Ms. Malhi, to confirm that an individual at [redacted] was appointed as an election official.".All 22 mail-in voting packages were returned with signatures, though the assistant was not identified. Three of the packages were eventually deemed uncountable as they failed to meet all the requirements, but the others made it through.In a statement to theBreaker.news, Randhawa's lawyer, Sunny Uppal, focused on Elections BC's concession that it had allowed the process to unfold without following up with Malhi."This admission sharply contrasts Elections BC's public narrative," Uppal said. "In their 2024 provincial election report, Elections BC repeatedly praised the security of mail-in ballots and their successful administration of BC's 2024 provincial election, while also accusing Mr. Randhawa and the Conservative Party of spreading misinformation. At no point in their 2024 provincial election report, did Elections BC disclose their now admitted error.".In his petition, Randhawa alleged that a number of individuals had engaged in "voter intimidation, undue influence, and unauthorized use of mail-in ballots," and that votes were cast by non-residents improperly registered in the riding..BC Conservative candidate files petition alleging 'substantial irregularities' in Surrey-Guildford election.He claimed that the mail-in ballots were "unlawfully requested and cast by staff members" and that vulnerable members of the lodge were "subjected to undue influence and coercion during voting," suggesting that "residents of the lodge did not even understand that they were taking part in an election, let alone make an informed choice about who they voted for.Randhawa made it clear that "voters in Surrey-Guildford deserve transparency and accountability.""This isn’t about politics," he added. "It's about upholding the democratic rights of every voter and ensuring elections are conducted lawfully and transparently."Via the petition, Randhawa hopes to have Begg's victory declared invalid. If that happens, a new election will be held.
