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Problem at the polls: Edmonton voters given incorrect ballots for school board trustee – Edmonton


An official grievance has been filed with Edmonton Elections after voters got ballots for the mistaken public faculty board wards.

Trisha Estabrooks, chair of the Edmonton Public Faculty Board and trustee candidate in Ward D, mentioned her agent filed the grievance Wednesday.

“I’m extraordinarily involved,” Estabrooks mentioned.

READ MORE: Edmonton election 2021: How to vote and what to expect on the ballot

She defined she’s fielded greater than a handful of calls and emails from supporters saying that after they went to vote upfront polls, they got an incorrect poll for Edmonton Public Faculty Board trustee.

Different trustee candidates, together with Jan Sawyer and Julie Kusiek, have been additionally contacted by supporters who mentioned they obtained the mistaken ballots.

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On Wednesday evening, Edmonton Elections acknowledged the issue in a press release to World Information.

“Edmonton Elections has obtained considerations from a handful of voters relating to the general public faculty board trustee poll they obtained,” it learn.

“We will affirm the next: Voters obtained the inaccurate public faculty board poll and have been in a position to resolve the problem previous to voting. In only a few circumstances, voters indicated they obtained and solid the inaccurate poll.”

Learn extra:
Edmonton Election 2021: Casting votes for school board trustees

World Information spoke to plenty of voters who skilled the issue firsthand, and have been annoyed by the expertise.

Michelle McLean was among the many first to vote when advance polls opened Monday afternoon.

McLean lives within the using of Metis, however council wards and faculty board wards have solely totally different boundaries.

She did her analysis upfront, and knew who she wished to vote for in every race.

“I had appeared up candidates for the Edmonton Public Faculty Board, for Ward G. As a result of that was the ward once I appeared on the map on the Edmonton Election web site — that was the ward I used to be in based mostly on the neighbourhood that I stay in.”

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Learn extra:
Edmonton election 2021 sees spike in advance voting so far

However when she bought inside her polling station, one thing was mistaken.

“I bought a kind that had Ward D candidates on it. And I used to be like, ‘I don’t know any of those candidates.’ I don’t have a look at any of their platforms.”

McLean mentioned she’d been ready in line for some time to vote, and wasn’t certain if she ought to deliver it up with an election employee or not.

After a couple of minutes, she determined to talk up.

“They enter my deal with right into a pill and that gave the impression to be arising with the mistaken ward. However she tried it a pair extra instances after which finally it got here up with the best ward, in order that they have been in a position to swap every little thing round for me and I bought the best voting kind.”


Click to play video: 'How Edmonton elects school board trustees'







How Edmonton elects faculty board trustees


How Edmonton elects faculty board trustees – Sep 29, 2021

In the long run, McLean was in a position to vote for the candidate she wished to, within the appropriate ward. However she contacted World Information as a result of she was anxious about different voters.

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“What if this occurs to different folks? Different folks won’t be capable to advocate as a lot to have the ability to get their kind modified, as a result of it was an advanced course of.”

She additionally feels public faculty board trustees have a key position to play.

“Schooling is vital. It’s the subsequent era, the longer term. So having individuals who have an understanding and expertise with what we want in training is actually vital to me.”

A senior who lives in Grovenor mentioned she took a number of time researching who she wished to vote for, feeling that particularly this election, the place of faculty board trustee is important.

However when she went to her advance polls, Anne — who requested that World Information not use her final title — mentioned she didn’t acknowledge any of the names on the poll.

As a substitute of getting a Ward C poll, Anne mentioned was given one with candidates working in Ward D.

Anne mentioned she was confused, and didn’t know what to do. She mentioned the candidate she deliberate to vote for wasn’t an choice on her poll, and he or she didn’t know something in regards to the candidates working within the different ward.

She ended up choosing a reputation at random — however then went dwelling and referred to as Edmonton Elections to report the issue.

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Anne mentioned she desires to be allowed to re-vote for the candidate in her precise ward.

“I would like it fastened,” she mentioned.

Learn extra:
Edmonton election 2021: Candidates running for mayor and council

World Information has requested Edmonton Elections what’s being achieved to rectify the issue.

Their recommendation to voters is that this: “We encourage voters to take their time at voting stations and ask any questions if they’re not sure about their poll.”

After three days of advance voting, greater than 19,000 Edmontonians had already solid ballots.

The turnout is on observe to shatter the 2017 numbers, when 26,198 folks voted upfront polls over the total 10-day window.




© 2021 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.





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