Robocalls scandal will drag on as Elections Canada probes Tories’ receipts

Elections Canada announced Monday it is investigating the Conservative party’s campaign spending records in relation to allegations that voters in dozens of ridings were directed to the wrong polling stations in the last federal election—potentially benefiting Tory candidates.

The Ottawa Citizen reports that Elections Canada is speaking with at least three workers from the campaign of Conservative candidate Marty Burke in Guelph, Ont. His campaign has admitted using robocalls to promote events during the election that were never reported in the official expense file.

Meanwhile, the National Posts’s John Ivison is kindly offering a hint for authorities wanting to get to the heart of the robocalls matter:

The digital trail likely ends inside the Conservative party’s own computer system — specifically the Constituency Information Management System database that contains voter information and telephone numbers.

Anyone who wanted to make robocalls sending Liberal and NDP voters to the wrong polling station, similar to the one received by Liberal supporters in Guelph, would likely need CIMS to identify and then contact them. But CIMS is tightly held by the party, with access password protected.

Are you listening, Elections Canada?