Non-partisan agency Elections B.C. says it will decide whether to resume its investigation once a court process has been completed.
Elections B.C. says it has suspended its investigation into a complaint of voting irregularities in Surrey-Guildford during the 2024 provincial election because a court petition covering the same issue is underway.
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The non-partisan agency that oversees provincial and municipal elections in B.C. announced the suspension Tuesday, noting that the “allegations in (B.C. Conservative candidate Honveer Singh) Randhawa’s Jan. 3 complaint to Elections B.C. are substantively the same as the allegations made in the court petition.
“In order to preserve the integrity of the court proceeding, Elections B.C. is suspending its review of Mr. Randhawa’s complaint pending the outcome of the petition. The court will determine when the petition is heard.”
Randhawa asked Elections B.C. to declare NDP MLA Garry Begg’s victory invalid on Jan. 3 and a review was launched on Jan. 9. Randhawa then filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court on Jan. 13.
Court affidavits from some of the residents include claims they were coerced into marking an ‘X’ on ballots without knowing who they were voting for. Randhawa claimed it demonstrated “undue influence or outright ballot manipulation.”
Begg received 8,947 votes to Randhawa’s 8,925 in the Oct. 19 election, a 22-vote victory after a recount confirming the NDP win.
Elections B.C. says it will consider whether to resume its review of Randhawa’s complaint after a determination by the court.
Randhawa’s petition names Begg and the chief electoral officer as respondents.
None of the allegations in the petition have been tested in court.