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Elections Canada Warns Voters of Vote Swapping
Elections Canada has ruled that Internet “vote swapping” is legal, but warned voters about the risks of agreeing to swap votes. The vote-swapping scheme, which has appeared on Facebook, encourages voters in different areas to swap their votes in order to maximize anti-Tory votes in certain areas of the country. In particular, the scheme lists 41 areas in which tight races are expected between Tory and non-Tory candidates. The scheme now has several thousands of participants on Facebook. Elections Canada permitted the scheme to continue because encouraging people to vote a certain way is legally permitted as long as no money or other "material benefits" are involved. However, Elections Canada also warns voters to be cautious when participating into this swap. Someone may use a false identity on the Internet to trick voters into voting a particular way. Or some people may not honour their promise when casting ballots. After all, people will vote alone in the voting booths.
For additional information, visit:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/09/17/vote-swapping.html