A group promoting the upcoming referendum on proportional representation will have to stay at least 300 feet away from advance voting locations in Saanich after the district forbade them from canvassing municipal voters.
Last week, a local representative of Fair Vote Canada, a group advocating for proportional representation, accused the the District of Saanich of violating a provincial directive that allows the organization to share information about the upcoming provincial referendum on proportional representation.
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Rani Earnhart, president of Fair Vote Canada-BC, said Wednesday the provincial directive gives her organizationB次元官网网址檚 volunteers the right to hand out flyers outside of municipal election voting locations.
B次元官网网址淭his [provincial] document makes it quite clear that our efforts at this location are legal,B次元官网网址� she said.
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But, Tara Zajac, spokesperson for the District of Saanich said Thursday, the chief election officer has the authority to regulate any activities taking place in and around voting places.
B次元官网网址淪aanich will not be allowing Fair Vote or any others to canvas within 100 metres of our voting locations on upcoming voting days,B次元官网网址� Zajac said, with advance voting set to resume Monday at Saanich Municipal Hall and Saanich Commonwealth Place.
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Earnhart met with Saanich officials to discuss why the municipality prohibited volunteers from handing out leaflets Wednesday morning near the advance voting location at municipal hall.
She told the Saanich B次元官网网址 her organization is not canvassing, nor does the organization have anything to do with the municipal election, but did acknowledge the group did not reach out to Saanich prior to their appearance.
B次元官网网址淲e had no problems in Vancouver, because they have already had advanced voting days, and I was just down at Victoria City Hall [where advanced voting took place],B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 had no issues there.B次元官网网址�
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The campaign period for the municipal election and the referendum on proportional representation B次元官网网址� held Oct. 22 to Nov. 30 by mail ballot B次元官网网址� overlap, and Earnhart points to a directive from Elections BC that says, B次元官网网址渃ampaigning by the various groups regarding the provincial referendum is permitted and could take place during the time local elections are being conducted.B次元官网网址�
The directive prohibits B次元官网网址渃ampaigning for any candidates within 100 metres of any voting placeB次元官网网址� but Earnhart said that rule does not apply to her group, as it is not canvassing for any specific candidate.
The B.C. municipal election is Oct. 20. For advance voting locations visit .
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