The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association is pointing out what it calls glitches with the voters’ list for the Canadian Wheat Board directors’ election.
Wheat grower president Larry Maguire said farmers may be surprised to discover they are registered in the wrong electoral district. That’s because the list is based on 1997-98 or 1998-99 CWB permit books, so farmers are listed in the district where their permits were issued, which may not be the same district in which they reside.
Election co-ordinator KPMG admits this could be a problem, especially for people living in communities near district lines.
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KPMG has set up a toll-free number (800-334-8009) that producers can call if they are listed in the wrong district. Callers will be asked to provide permit book information before their names are shifted to a new district.
“We will switch their voting district from the delivery point to that in which they actually produce grain,” said Cameron MacKay with KPMG.
At the end of last week, 20 of the 155,519 eligible voters had requested a change in district.
Another concern raised by Maguire is the Nov. 6 deadline for farmers who were left off the list to get themselves registered. That only leaves two weeks for KPMG to verify the requests, mail the ballots out to the farmers and for producers to fill out the ballots and mail them back to KPMG by the Nov. 20 postmark deadline.
“All we are saying is if there is any glitches in the mail, there might be some farmers who don’t get their ballots on time to have even voted,” said Maguire.
MacKay agreed the turnaround time is tight. That’s why he urged producers who haven’t received a ballot to phone KPMG’s toll-free line right away.
KPMG will send out declaration forms to eligible callers, which must be signed by a commissioner of oaths and returned. The completed forms must be in KPMG’s hands by Nov. 6. Mac-
Kay said farmers can fax the forms back at 888-872-0151.
