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Robo calls-- if you can't beat 'em, join 'em: Strategy for Tory Voter Supression.

Tommy_Paine
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Joined: Apr 22 2001
February 26, 2012 - 9:37am


It wouldn't surprise me today if the Liberals fire a campaign staffer for not thinking of Robocalls before the Tories did.

Anyway, anticipating that Elections Canada won't do much about this, I suggest we plot strategies for joining the fray.  Just what kind of robo calls should the NDP make to Tory polls?

"Did you know that they will be serving domestic wine and kraft cheese slices on crackers at your poll on election day?"

"No time to vote! the bookies are drunk at the homeless fights, time to place your bets!"

"There is no valet parking at your polling station. Repeat-- NO VALET PARKING."

"Elections Canada will not validate the identities of anyone who has had cosmetic surgery."

"Police have staked out your polling station, and are looking to match up licence plate numbers with those photographed in your town's red light district."

"Rahim Jaffer will drive you to your polling station."


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Catchfire
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Joined: Apr 16 2003
February 26, 2012 - 12:25pm
#1

Tommy_Paine wrote:
"Rahim Jaffer will drive you to your polling station."

Heh.

"Parking at the polling station is SMALL CAR only"

"Submit your voting card at your local Chapters or Indigo and receive a free copy of The Fountainhead"


Maysie
Offline
Joined: Apr 21 2005
February 26, 2012 - 2:11pm
#2

Quote:
 "Submit your voting card at your local Chapters or Indigo and receive a free copy of The Fountainhead"

Ooh, triple-whammy!

"Domestic employees CANNOT vote on your behalf, you have to come in person with vaild ID."

"Saying 'Don't you know who I am??' is not valid ID."

"You might have to wait in line at your polling station. No, there isn't an express line by income level."



Brachina
Offline
Joined: Feb 15 2012
February 26, 2012 - 2:32pm
#3
"Your polling station has been moved to the local union hall" "Your vote is not tax decuctible" "Extra ballots, no longer for sale"

contrarianna
Offline
Joined: Aug 15 2006
February 26, 2012 - 3:46pm
#4

"As part of Elections Canada affirmative action, your polling station will be managed by gays, lesbians and transexuals--please be respectful "


JKR
Offline
Joined: Jan 15 2005
February 26, 2012 - 6:21pm
#5

As it turns out, we don't have to depend only on Elections Canada to rectify this mess. People who were eligible to vote in these ridings can go to court to nullify the results of the election in their riding.

If you didn't like that #robocall here's something you might do about it.  By Steven Shrybman. Rabble Blog

Quote:

Evidence has recently come to light that among other dirty tricks to suppress the NDP and Liberal vote, fraudulent robocalls where made to voters in several ridings by a firm linked to the Conservative party.

Understaffed Elections Canada has been investigating since last summer, and the leaders of the NDP and Liberal parties have called for a full inquiry.

But there is also a remedy under the Elections Canada Act that many may not be aware of, for s. 524(1) of the Act provides that:

Any elector who was eligible to vote in an electoral district, and any candidate in an electoral district, may, by application to a competent court, contest the election in that electoral district on the grounds that:

...

b) there were irregularities, fraud or corrupt or illegal practices that affected the result of the election.

Section 531 (2)of the Act further provides:

 After hearing the application, the court may dismiss it if the grounds referred to in paragraph 524(1)(a) or (b), as the case may be, are not established and, where they are established, shall declare the election null and void or may annul the election, respectively.

But anyone thinking about invoking their right to file an application under s. 524(1) should be aware that under s. 527, their right to do so is time limited, for such an application must be filed within 30 days after the later of

• (a) the day on which the result of the contested election is published in the Canada Gazette, and

• (b) the day on which the applicant first knew or should have known of the occurrence of the alleged irregularity, fraud, corrupt practice or illegal practice.


vaudree
Offline
Joined: Sep 7 2001
February 26, 2012 - 7:32pm
#6

Tommy_Paine wrote:

It wouldn't surprise me today if the Liberals fire a campaign staffer for not thinking of Robocalls before the Tories did.



You've got a point there.

Also, I think I am seeing the beginnings of a strategy on the part of the Liberals to try to spin this as the Tories going after the Liberals moreso than the NDP (because they didn't think the NDP were a threat) and that the NDP going to second place is an inadvertent effect of the Tories trying to discourage Liberal voters.  Watch, it will happen.

My mom got a call just after the debate started about a survey of her NDP leadership preferences (she is in St.Boniface) and I told her to tell Pat Martin about it since it was a call claiming to be from the party at an inconvenient time.  She figured that it would be silly to complain about something so small but I told her to because either the NDP has got to know not to do robo call surveys in the middled of a leadership debate or it is - someone else behind it.


Catchfire
Offline
Joined: Apr 16 2003
February 26, 2012 - 8:27pm
#7

I'll tell you this--as soon as I can figure out a way to fake evidence that I orchestrated this whole enterprise, I'm going to confess and take full responsibility for everything. I'm sick of living paycheck to paycheck like a sucker.


Bacchus
Offline
Joined: Dec 8 2003
February 26, 2012 - 8:58pm
#8

But anyone thinking about invoking their right to file an application under s. 524(1) should be aware that under s. 527, their right to do so is time limited, for such an application must be filed within 30 days after the later of

• (a) the day on which the result of the contested election is published in the Canada Gazette, and

• (b) the day on which the applicant first knew or should have known of the occurrence of the alleged irregularity, fraud, corrupt practice or illegal practice.

 

When did it hit the news? And when is the 30 days up?


contrarianna
Offline
Joined: Aug 15 2006
February 26, 2012 - 9:09pm
#9

Further reasons not to wait on the RCMP, the benificiary of the Harper Security State:

Quote:
A class-action lawsuit would offer insights into the Conservative robocall scandal
By Charlie Smith, February 25, 2012

....
Maybe the time has come to call in a good lawyer and file a class-action suit.

This lawyer could subpoena witnesses, demand documents, and possibly force the defendants to pay damages to all those voters whose rights were trampled on.

The best part of all is that the Canadian public might not have to wait years for the RCMP to get to the bottom of this affair when that same RCMP is dependent on the Harper government for its funding.



http://www.straight.com/article-617891/vancouver/classaction-lawsuit-wou...


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