{"id":123202,"date":"2022-10-12T08:23:43","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T12:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/rwddev\/?p=123202"},"modified":"2022-10-12T08:33:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T12:33:50","slug":"vote-tampering-can-get-you-a-hefty-fine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/vote-tampering-can-get-you-a-hefty-fine\/","title":{"rendered":"Vote tampering can get you a hefty fine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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You may have gotten more voter packages in the mail than there are voters in your household, but vote tampering is still a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Doppler reached out to the Town of Huntsville about an incident shared on social media where a resident received voter packages for grown children who are no longer living at home or in the province. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clerk for the Town of Huntsville, Tany Calleja, responded via email correspondence and stated that Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996<\/em>, (MEA)\u00a0 municipalities get their preliminary voter information from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which she said includes renter information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“To ensure the information in our database is as up-to-date as possible, we make use of all data sources available to us. This includes regular updates from the National Register of Electors, Elections Ontario, the Ministry of Government Services for deceased persons, on-going updates of data from our property assessment system, and information collected through voterlookup.ca,” states MPAC on its website<\/span><\/a>. “MPAC created voterlookup.ca<\/span><\/a> to provide electors with an easy way to confirm and update their information for municipal and school board elections, year-round,” it adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calleja said the municipality has been advising of an upcoming election and MPAC’s Voter Lookup system since July 13, 2022. “When the cut off date occurred for the MPAC Voter Lookup, the Town then continued by providing our own Voter Lookup,” she said, adding that it\u2019s up to the elector to update his or her information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of voting on behalf of someone else, Calleja stated that it\u2019s against the law to vote more than once for any elected office within the same municipality or school board jurisdiction, or use someone else\u2019s Voter ID and PIN, as per the Municipal Elections Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Offences under the MEA (sec 94.1) carries a maximum fine of up to $25,000 or up to six months imprisonment,” stated Calleja. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said electors are encouraged to contact the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation at: 1-866-296-6722 to update their information. If anyone receives a Voter Information Letter that they shouldn\u2019t have, they are requested to take it to the Election Help Centre located at 37 Main St. E., bottom floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their hours of operation are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n