Letters to the Editor: Readers say Beaches-East York federal Liberal nomination meeting process ‘failed’ them
Re: ‘Was the Beaches-East York federal Liberal nomination open or was it a de facto appointment?’, Letters, Beach Metro Community News website, July 20.
The recent letter to the editor from Guri Pannu struck a chord with both me, and my wife. The Beaches-East York federal nominating meeting was our first voting experience as members of the Beaches-East York federal Liberal Association.
Sadly, it turned out to be an intimidating, anxiety provoking experience that has left us both in shock and now untrusting of the electoral process. It waslLike nothing we have ever experienced, or ever imagined we would experience in our 77 years voting in Canada.
Everything went well until we received our voting instructions. My wife has a neurological disability that significantly slows her mobility. I assist her walking and standing.
We were both pointed to our computer screens to place our votes. The screens were side by each, inches apart. People stood directly behind us, our screens fully visible to each other, and others around and behind us. There was no privacy, no booth. It was off-putting, to put it mildly.
A code written on a label was provided to each of us to enter and activate casting our vote. My wife had difficulty entering her code. She asked me to assist her. No sooner had I started than two people around us quickly stepped in.
They informed us that only they could help her, that we could not speak with each other during voting, nor could I look at her screen. That’s when I inquired: “Does this also apply to everyone within 10 feet of us who can see her screen? And who were talking to each other?”
Next thing we knew two other “officials”, we assume (no names, badges/ID provided or evident) arrived. My wife and I were trying to explain we wanted to know how to register our second choice. It was not clear.
Again I was told to stop responding to questions from my wife. She became visibly upset, I was frustrated. We just wanted out of there.
We never did cast our second-choice votes. We feel the electoral “process” failed us.
Paul Caulford
Marta Caulford
