Tory effort to annul votes at University of Guelph rejected by Elections Canada

Elections Canada has rejected a bid by the Conservative party to annul some 700 ballots cast by students at the University of Guelph.

In a statement issued Friday, Elections Canada agreed the special balloting at the university was not properly authorized.

Nevertheless, the agency said the votes were “cast in a manner that respects the Canada Elections Act and are valid.”

The Tories, who’d been roasted by students and political foes for seemingly trying to disenfranchise the Guelph students, quickly backed down.

In a series of tweets from Conservative campaign manager Guy Giorno, the party welcomed Elections Canada’s ruling.

“While the Elections Canada statement confirms that what happened in Guelph lacked proper authorization, we applaud the decision not to disenfranchise University of Guelph students because of errors by the local returning officer,” Giorno said.

“These student voters should not suffer because of mistakes by the local election officials.”

The statement made no mention of the Conservatives’ initial complaint to Elections Canada about the process used at the university.

The party had complained that its local campaign scrutineer had not been allowed to oversee the process and that Liberal campaign material had been seen in the voting area.

Elections Canada said all information at its disposal indicates the proceedings were above board, arranged by “a well-intentioned returning officer” who wanted to encourage young people to vote.

Still, chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand said such initiatives are supposed to be planned “well ahead” of an election, in consultation with political parties and with authorization from Elections Canada.

Since the Guelph controversy, Mayrand said all returning officers have been instructed “not to engage in any further activities of a similar nature.”

The University of Guelph ballots were cast Wednesday as part of a “vote mob” organized by students to encourage young people to participate in the election. Just 37 per cent of those between the ages of 18 and 24 bothered to vote in 2008.

Prior to Elections Canada’s decision, Leadnow.ca, a group that is helping to organize vote mobs across the country, expressed shock at the Tory attempt to “nullify the voice of 700 young Canadians, many of whom voted for the first time.” The group started an online petition demanding the ballots be validated, which garnered 1,000 signatures in just over an hour.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and NDP Leader Jack Layton pounced on the issue, alleging it amounted to further proof of the governing party’s lack of respect for democracy.

“This is part of a pattern and Canadians need to know it’s worrying. I just can’t believe it,” Ignatieff said during a campaign stop in Ottawa.

In Montreal, Layton said: “This kind of intimidation and harassment is wrong.”

However, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it was simply a matter of making sure election rules are followed.

“Our sole concern is that all the rules be followed,” he said at a campaign stop north of Toronto.

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