The Ontario elections says that the NDP did not notify the electoral officials that one of its candidates had retired, which resulted in more than 4,700 votes to someone who was no longer in the race.
The driving of Elgin-Middlesex-London, which covers a large strip of the southwest rural Ontario, including St. Thomas and part of London, saw 51,465 votes cast. Of these, 4,738 went to Amanda Zavitz, who retired a week before Thursday’s elections.
“It’s a shame for them,” said Kelly Elgie, referring to the new Democrats.
Elgie told CBC News that when she voted in Thorndale, she noticed a lack of information that revealed Zavitz’s retirement.
“I think we are apologizing to our constituents and our area. We collect almost 5,000 votes in our area for their party. It is a waste.”
The head of the Progressive Conservative Rob Rack won the driving with 28,719 votes, followed by Doug Mactaviss of the Liberals with 12,578.
CBC News sent requests for comments to Zavitz and the Ontario NDP, but had no news for publication.
Zavitz announced on February 20 that he retired from the race, one day after apologizing for the comments he made during his presentation in New York last March that they were captured in a YouTube video. In Zavitz’s comments, which is Blanco, he expressed a secret desire to be a black woman. ” The controversy began after the progressive conservatives highlighted the video during the electoral campaign.
According to a spokesman for the Ontario elections, the NDP failed to comply with the withdrawal of Zavitz.
“We still have to receive a removal notification from any candidate at Elgin-Middlesex-London,” said Dave Pearce in an email to CBC News on the night of the elections.
The Ontario elections told CBC that there is a formal process to withdraw a candidate: it includes a form of a page that requests the name, riding and party of the individual, as well as a signature of both the candidate and a witness.
“In general terms, when a candidate retires after the closure of the nominations, his name remains on the electoral ballot and the notices are published in voting places so that voters are aware that the candidate has retired,” Pearce wrote.
From the elections, Ontario says that he has no registration of the form that is presented, when Elgie arrived at the local voting station to launch his vote, no notice was published.
“I found it strange. It was like, ‘Wow’. This was felt as a significant choice.” I would love to see that we vote again in our area, because I think there was an injustice. “CBC News listened to other voters who expressed their disappointment and felt that the lack of transparency was unfair.
The ‘marked’ opponents
While it is impossible to know which candidates would have received the almost 5,000 votes that were cast for Zavitz if the voters had been notified that it had retired, it is a false step for the campaigns of the other parties.
“I am marked to listen to it,” said Laura Blondeau, Mactavish spokesman. “We are very disappointed. It would be an appropriate part of the process to formally notify the Ontario elections.”
Blondeau said that he is concerned about notification meant that voters did not have a complete image when they cast their vote. He said that because the votes could not have turned the result of the night of the elections, it is unlikely that the liberals raise the problem through a formal complaint.
Blondeau also noted that Zavitz supported Mactavavish on social networks after his retirement announcement.
The candidate of the Green Party, Amanda Stark, who finished fourth with 2,933 votes, said she spent the days before the day of the election warning the premises that Zavitz had announced her retirement after the reports that the notices were not published during the early vote.
“We were both representing parts that represent very similar things,” said Stark. “What if his followers [would have otherwise] voted for me? That is another unfortunate detail, but there is nothing I can do. “
The situation, Stark said, shows the importance of clear communication in the elections.
“It is discouraging, because there is already a feeling of helplessness and discouragement because people feel that their vote does not count,” Stark said. “Why are we [as people running for office] shooting ourselves in the foot here? “
