The mean-spirited, self-destructive Tories.

Or so that's how they're so easily depicted. And have only themselves to blame.

 
University of Guelph students. (Reuters)

The Toronto Star reports:

Elections Canada rejects Tory bid to quash student votes

THORNHILL—All party leaders are urging voters — especially young voters — to turn out in droves to cast a ballot on May 2.

But only one party appears to have an interest in driving down the participation of 18-to-24-year-olds in this campaign, says an expert on youth voting patterns. And now the Conservative Party is facing an allegation of election tampering after trying to have 700 votes cast by students earlier this week at the University of Guelph declared null and void.

The Tories say that the advance voting station — an initiative specifically designed to increase young voters’ participation in this campaign — was not authorized by Elections Canada and was littered with opposition party campaign material. The Liberals say officials with Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke illegally filmed voters and then tried to snatch away the ballot box, a great big election no-no.

 

Comments

[CQ]

I am very concerned about the potential dangers of mixing the concept of "a mob" with the individual's right to a free and private vote. Sure, it may (or may not) be perfectly fine this time but what about the next instance of an unauthorized polling 'mob' station.
Were influencing music selections being forcibly played at the voting place? Was privacy ensured? Were there sloganeering party supporters chanting away? Were non-mainstream and independant candidates equally and fairly listed upon the unofficial ballots? Were ALL local candidates informed at the start (or as of the same day) of the five-week only campaign as to the date of the mob vote? Did all-party representatives have a clear and pre-invited opportunity to observe the ballot counting procedures in place? Could illegal 'proxy votes' of non-voters be stuffed into the ballot boxes in secret? Were the booth workers approved and prepared for non-partition voting duties or were they uniformly and politically aligned Student Union or Teacher Union reps 'on a lunch break'? Were ALL students registered and publicly informed, and confirmed as pre-informed, as to 'the school's advance off-date mob booth? Did they all have a guaranteed three hour plus (no classes nor personal work hours) window of accessing the voting place? Are off-campus students monitored to avoid double voting - once at school and then also at another home riding booth - from throughout all of Canada?
If the answers are "I don't know" or "Of course yes... but maybe not", then individual voting age students really need to ask if "unauthorized vote mob" representation is the same as exercising a free constitutional right to vote.
It is great to promote young adult voting at post secondary institutions, but the responsibility of ensuring that voting flash mobs are not abusive to our fair system of the individual right to vote needs to be formally developed. And should have been done so decades ago! That is regardless of whichever political party, at whichever time or election campaign, is raising a contemporary concern.
Voting mobs? What is this: the 1930s or 1960s?