Should punishment for voter suppression be more severe?

The Ottawa Citizen reported Thursday that illegal automated phone calls directing voters to non-existent or incorrect polling stations during the last federal election have been traced to an Edmonton call centre.

Should the sentences for trying to rig a vote be harsher? (Courtesy Elections Canada)The company, Racknine, has been used in the past by Conservative candidates, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to conduct legitimate phone campaigns. There is no evidence any Conservative candidates were involved in the fraudulent calls.

The message that the robocalls carried to voters in Guelph, Ont., was:

"This is an automated message from Elections Canada. Due to a projected increase in voter turnout your poll location has been changed. Your new voting location is at the old Quebec Street mall at 55 Wyndham Street North."

Other fraudulent calls were reported in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., London, Ont., Toronto, Winnipeg and Sydney, N.S.

Under the Canada Elections Act, voter suppression - "delaying or obstructing the electoral process" or "the willful endeavour to prevent an elector from voting" - is punishable with up to a $5,000 fine, five years in prison or both.

However, since 1992, no one has been imprisoned for breaking the Canada Elections Act. The largest fine laid under the Act - two fines of $25,000 - was against the Conservative Party for the in-and-out payments.

Should the punishment for voter suppression be more severe? Let us know what you think.



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