Some people living outside Kelowna city limits voted illegally in last month’s municipal election. The matter was brought to light by the newly elected Com. Ron Cannon during an election discussion at Monday’s council meeting. “Some people in the regional district, in the Ellison area have a Kelowna address. They went to the Parkinson Rec Center (to vote) but found out after they were ineligible,” Cannan said. Elections Chief Laura Bentley said this is something the city sees from time to time, but acknowledged it’s not a widespread problem. “Our election officials have the training to look it up and the resources to know what the boundaries are for the city,” Bentley told Castanet News. “We have a map of the city at every polling location, so we know there are people who may think they live within the city limits when they don’t.” He said some people were turned away from polling stations because they didn’t live within city limits, but added it’s the voter’s responsibility to know where they live and declare their eligibility to vote. Bentley said it is not known how many votes are ineligible, but reiterated that the problem is not widespread. The city will continue to look for ways to strengthen the process for future elections. Bentley says the section of the city charter related to election marking will also be reviewed and changes proposed before the next election cycle, possibly a provincial election in two years. “One of the main focuses is safety. There have been more concerns from either staff or the public about safety as rebar is used for larger timber frame signs. “Looking at regulations that might limit that.” Councilors also raised some concerns about voter turnout and how it could increase in future elections. Online voting was mentioned as well as a review of where polling stations are located. As for electronic voting, City Clerk Steven Fleming says there hasn’t been a noticeable increase in voter turnout in jurisdictions that allow electronic voting. The decision to allow online voting is also strictly in the hands of the province.
