Pre-Game Show: Updates from the Ballotbox

It is customary for journalists to try to vote more than once. If only to expose the incompetence of the Elections Bureau. In my first year at the University of Ottawa, I was able to vote three times. (Thank you online voting). In my second year, I was able to vote twice. I never tried the experiment again... Until today.

I can happily report that the voting is being done in a relatively professional manner.

When I attempted to vote for a second time (at a different ballot box), the computer popped up "Wassim Garzouzi has already voted."

Last year, 12 votes went unaccounted for. Pam Hrick, current president of the SFUO, beat out challenger Jean-Philippe Michel by a narrow 15 votes. Michel contested and the elections office cancelled out 12 "Pam" votes. The final result was Pam winning by three.

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SFUO rules state that there can be no posters in eye-sight from a voting station. Voting stations are usually at busy intersections. Candidates usually poster at busy intersections. Needless to say, we are beginning to see walls again.

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The ballots are basically one 8"x11" cardboard piece of paper. You get a sharpie pen to darken the circles. You are not supposed to fold your ballot, so when you go vote, anyone walking by can actually who you voted for. Definitely not a good move by the Elections Office. Some people have complained and some exceptions have been made to allow voters to fold their ballot in two.

I was able to see a few ballots, and as unethical as this might sound, it seems to be a dead heat between Picard and Séguin. At least in the UniCentre.

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Finally, the two scrutineers are French international students talking about Sarkozy right now. Completely indifferent to everything around them. Students walking by polling stations have no idea what is going on.

If I was in charge of these elections, I would probably get non-partisan employees to guide students towards polling stations. I would also encourage scrutineers to be more attentive to what is happening around them.

More to come soon.