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This isn't about voting systems, but it is something that might
warrant electoral reform: why do City Clerks answer to no one?<br>
<br>
My friend Regan Sunshine Brussé is running for Kitchener Ward 2
Councillor. The City Clerk pulled the rug out from under her
campaign by not allowing her (legal) middle name on the ballot. But
nobody told her, so she planned her whole campaign around
"Sunshine." <br>
<br>
After 5 months of canvassing and telling people to look for
"sunshine" on the ballot, she only discovered this by chance: she
was never notified. <br>
<br>
The default is legal names go on the ballot, there is no written
rule anywhere saying candidates can't use middle names. If
Candidates want to use something else, they can if the Clerk allows
it. One Candidate has her legal name and a nickname in
parentheses included on the ballot. <br>
<br>
When she saw a list of the names as they will appear on the ballot,
she thought it was an accident, and asked them to correct the
mistake. Regan was told there is a "no middle names" policy because
it would make names too long on the ballot. But if space is the
main consideration, one of the candidates listed on the ballot has a
hyphenated surname making her name longer than Regan's full name.<br>
<br>
This is an unwritten practice no one bothered to mention to a first
time candidate-- a candidate who indicated in the right place on the
nomination papers that she wanted her middle name on the ballot.<br>
<br>
Even if, as it appears, the Clerk does have the power to refuse to
allow a candidate to use her full name, the Clerk woudl then have
the obligation to inform the candidate when accepting her nomination
papers. Regan believed that when her fill name appeared on the City
of Kitchener Candidates List that her nomination had been accepted.<br>
<br>
There is nowhere she can go to appeal. What the Clerk says is
final. I imagine the real issue here is that the Clerk doesn't want
to incur the costs to reprint the ballot. After the election the
Clerk will think about how to fix the problem for next time. In
the meantime, Regan is screwed.<br>
<br>
The only court of appeal seems to be the court of public opinion.
It's gotten a little news coverage, but not nearly enough to get the
Clerk to reverse her decision. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-election-regan-sunshine-brusse-no-middle-name-1.4833246">https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-election-regan-sunshine-brusse-no-middle-name-1.4833246</a><br>
<br>
CTV actually filmed a segment with Regan, but dumped it because that
was the day of the school shooting. The campaign is almost over so
there isn't time to crowd fund a lawyer (she's a single mom: she
took the semester off to run, and all her money is tied up in
election materials). <br>
<br>
Regan has been told that a strongly worded letter from a lawyer
might help the Clerk reconsider, but she can't afford a lawyer.
Does anyone knows a local lawyer interested in democratic fairness
who might be willing to write such a letter Pro Bono? <br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Laurel<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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<hr>♦ <strong><a href="http://laurel.russwurm.org/blogs/">Laurel
L. Russwurm, Author</a></strong> ♦ <a
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♦ <strong><a href="https://laurelrusswurm.wordpress.com/">Laurel
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