Surrey-Guildford Green Party candidate in the 2024 election reveals more voting irregularities at Argyll Lodge – Rustad renews call for a public inquiry
“Once again, we see further evidence, now from the Greens, of serious irregularities in the 2024 election. We need a public inquiry. The Chief Elections Officer has chosen to stick his head in the sand.”
-John Rustad, MLA and Leader of the Official Opposition Conservative Party of British Columbia
VICTORIA, BC – John Rustad, Leader of the Official Opposition, delivered additional evidence today of serious voting irregularities in the 2024 British Columbia provincial election in Surrey-Guildford. Rustad repeated his demand, originally made January 9th, for the urgent appointment of a senior justice of the Supreme Court to lead a formal investigation by an independent Commission of Inquiry, pursuant to the Public Inquiry Act.
On Tuesday, February 25th, Manjeet Singh Sahota, the British Columbia Green Party candidate in Surrey-Guildford in the 2024 election, swore an affidavit as part of the ongoing court action.
In the sworn affidavit, Sahota states:
“Before the 43rd Provincial Elections’ final voting date of October 19, 2024, I personally campaigned at 14590 106A Avenue, Surrey, B.C. as I now know of it as the Argyll Lodge (the ‘Lodge’) as part of my door-to-door canvassing.
During my visit to the Lodge, I was talking to 3 people in front of the Lodge, and as per my collection, an Asian woman who introduced herself as caregiver for the residents of the Lodge, informed me that only sick people live at the Lodge and that they do not participate in voting.
Because of my conversation with the caregiver, I was left with an impression that no one votes from the Lodge so I believe I did not leave my campaign materials there either. A few days later I was canvassing in the same neighbourhood, and I did not revisit the house because earlier I was told that the people living at the lodge do not participate in voting.”
On January 9th, the Conservative Party made public relevant facts relating to Argyll Lodge which the Chief Elections Officer has, to this day, refused to investigate:
- 21 mail-in ballot votes were cast by residents of Argyll Lodge, a licensed addiction and substance abuse recovery facility. The licensed capacity of Argyll Lodge is 25 beds.
- Argyll Lodge is across the street from Guildford Park Secondary School, the nearest polling station, located just 80 metres away.
- Some residents of Argyll Lodge deny requesting a mail-in ballot or being aware that a provincial election was even taking place.
- A resident of Argyll Lodge said they were instructed how to complete their mail-in ballot package by a third party.
- The manager of Argyll Lodge, listed in a Fraser Health inspection report bears the same name as an individual who made a $1,400 donation to the BC NDP in 2023.
Argyll Lodge manger Baljit Kandola subsequently told news media “There’s no truth to the matter. And I’m here I’m trying to do my job. I have 25 people to take care of.”
Kandola referred media to the Fraser Health Authority, who referred media to Elections BC, where the Chief Elections Officer has refused to investigate.
Kandola also said Elections BC has sent her business mail-in ballots for its residents every election cycle for the last 30 years and that she never asks for them, they just arrive, saying “It’s the same way the ballots have been cast by our clients over the last 30 years.”
Kandola’s claims were refuted by Elections BC. The Election Act provides that a mail-in voting package may only be sent to an individual who has applied for one, and an individual must not apply for more than one mail-in voting package.
The Chief Electoral Officer or District Electoral Officer must also make a record that a mail-in voting package will be mailed to the individual who has applied, but Elections BC has never released the names of the individuals who requested voting packages at Argyll Lodge.
“Once again, we see further evidence, now from the Green Party candidate in Surrey-Guildford in 2024, of serious irregularities in last year’s election,” said Rustad. “We need a public inquiry. The Chief Elections Officer has chosen to stick his head in the sand.”
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