Did you get two Fort Erie voter cards? You still get only one vote

Voter information cards for Fort Erie’s October 26 municipal election are arriving in mailboxes, and some residents are opening more than one addressed to them.

One local voter reported to Fort Erie Radio that he received two voter information cards. Fort Erie Radio verified that his name and address appears on both letters, and that each contains a unique PIN to cast a ballot online.

Another voter in Ridgeway posted a photo on Facebook of five voter information letters he said he received.

“The town does not currently have evidence suggesting a systemic problem with the voter information letter distribution process,” the Town of Fort Erie’s legislative services department said in an emailed statement to Fort Erie Radio.

Town staff have investigated several voter-letter concerns raised on social media.

“In most cases, our review found that the circumstances differed from how they had been characterized online,” the town said.

The town built its voters’ list from a preliminary list Elections Ontario provided in mid-August. A move or legal name change after that date may not appear on the list, and spelling differences or aliases may lead to one person getting two records.

The town is asking residents who receive more than one voter card, or a card for someone who does not live at their address, to call the clerk’s office at (905) 871-1600 or email elections@forterie.ca.

Election staff will review the record, deactivate any invalid PIN and explain how to return or dispose of the extra card.

The town’s election management system records each online ballot as it is cast. Election officials check that record before they issue a ballot in person.

“An elector who has already voted would not be permitted to cast a second ballot, online or in person,” the town said.

Voting more than once, or with a letter or PIN assigned to someone else, is an offence under Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act and can lead to prosecution.

Residents who have not received a letter can confirm they are on the voters’ list through the elector lookup tool at forterie.ca/elections before election day on Monday, October 26.

The town said only a small share of the complaints it has received involve possible duplicate letters. Other complaints involve letters addressed to residents who have died or moved, or to former tenants.

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