Voters take to social media to report poll irregularities

Canadians are taking to Twitter and Facebook to report issues with voting in today’s federal election, from mistakes on voter cards to misinformation at the polls.

Their posts highlight some of the confusion that remains because of both changes to identification requirements for voting and what is anticipated to be a high voter turnout.

Jennifer Ryan of Toronto came up against issues with identification that point to a lack of proper training for election workers, she tells Yahoo Canada News. Ryan brought her passport and birth certificate when she went with her husband to vote in their Toronto riding of University-Rosedale but had misplaced her driver’s licence, which lists her address.

At the poll, Ryan was told she had to return home to bring proof of address. When she asked instead to have her husband attest to her address — as he had his own proof of address with him and their voter cards showed they lived in the same home — she was told by the poll clerk that she couldn’t do that.

In fact, Elections Canada outlines three possible ways to identify yourself in order to vote: showing a piece of government ID with your name and address, showing two pieces of ID with one having your address, or show two pieces of ID with your name and have a voter registered in the same polling division attest to your address.

When she persisted and was directed to the main table at the polling station, Ryan and her husband were given a form to allow him to attest and she was able to vote. The poll clerk who provided the form told her that they were trying to dissuade voters from using the option to attest, she says.

“The thing that freaked me out the most was the unbelievable indifference,” Ryan says. “It’s kind of sad that either they’re just indifferent or not well-trained. I’d like to think it’s not active voter suppression, but it certainly doesn’t keep people there who actually have the right to vote.”

Problems at polls were being reported via social media across the country: workers not arriving on time in Montreal, polls not opening on time in Regina and late ballot boxes in Toronto.

Others have reported issues with incorrect or confusing information on their voter cards. CBC journalist Chris Ensing tweeted that while his voter card told him to vote at the Gander Curling Club in Gander, N.L., the poll had actually been moved to the Salvation Army Church. The local curling club is currently under major repairs after a fire last month, which is likely the cause for the polling change.

A woman in the Toronto-area riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge was surprised to find that the poll listed on her voter card closed at 1:30 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m. as expected. Though the voter card doesn’t make it clear, CBC News reports that the poll is a mobile poll. These are often found in locations like hospitals and nursing homes, where residents may not be able to leave in order to vote, and can have limited hours.

A truck driver in Surrey told CTV News that he received a voter card in the mail, despite being ineligible to vote. David Braganza has lived in Canada since 1990 but because he is a permanent resident and not a citizen, he’s not eligible to vote in the federal election. But he received a voter card and is on the voting list, which means he could vote if he showed proper ID. He would be subject to fines if he did so, however — voting when you are not eligible, even if you are on the voting list, is punishable by a fine up to $20,000, a year in jail, or both.

Others online have reported issues such as being told they had to recite their address from memory, being asked for additional ID that wasn’t required, and being turned away if their identification lacked their middle initial.

Elections Canada wasn’t immediately available to comment.

Voters are reporting issues with voting using the hashtag #pollwatch on Twitter. Anyone with concerns about voting eligibility can contact Elections Canada at (800) 463-2626.