City clerk cautions candidate

An unnamed municipal election candidate is being cautioned after offering to "verify" whether votes have been successfully cast in the internet/telephone system. Sarnia City Clerk Dianne Gould-Brown says they've been contacted by a number of eligible voters in alarm, after being told by a candidate that their vote was unsuccessful. She says they have no known cases of an individual receiving a voting confirmation whose vote was not successfully cast in the system. Gould-Brown says they've verified that five individuals were told in error by the candidate that their vote was not successful, but in each case the candidate incorrectly identified them as someone with a similar name. She says they've asked the individual to adhere to the city's policy and stop offering to verify votes. Gould-Brown says her staff are the only individuals that can do that, and reminds voters that staff can't see who they've voted for, but can verify the time each ballot was cast. She encourages individuals concerned about their vote to contact the clerk's department at 519-332-0330 ex. 3320 and staff can verify if their vote has been cast.