Metis Electoral Officer Speaks Out

Metis Electoral Officer Speaks Out

Wednesday, June 30, 2004 at 14:37

 

 

The man in charge of the recent Metis election in Saskatchewan says he ran the vote by the book, but he isn’t sure if his deputies can say the same thing.

 

Chief electoral officer Robert McAuley only recently began talking about the controversial MNS election, which was marred by allegations of ballot box stuffing and tampering.

 

There have been several Metis citizens who also say they were denied the right to vote at their local polling station.

 

McAuley says he had to rely on the local presidents to submit names of people who could act as deputy returning officers and poll clerks at polls across the province.

 

McAuley says he made it clear that he wanted people that weren’t somehow connected to local candidates, but says he could only go with names put forward by local presidents.

 

Having said that, McAuley feels the Metis should still run their own elections, and doesn’t feel an outside group should be in charge.

 

He also says no outside group would agree to run the MNS election with the amount of funding he was forced to work with.

 

If he could change anything, McAuley wishes he had the opportunity to meet potential DROs in person first.

 

He also says he should have been supplied with more money to train them properly.