Elections Ontario has ordered a whistleblower to take down a video in which he demonstrates alleged election vulnerabilities in the province’s election system.
Spencer, who operates the YouTube channel “MCGA,” filmed himself registering to vote using only an edited document with a TD bank logo, a fake name and a phony address. He claimed to have visited 13 returning offices with the fake identification.
In an interview with True North, Spencer said he reached the attestation stage in 13 electoral districts but never signed the electoral officer’s iPad to complete the identity declaration. Spencer intended to expose the system, not vote using false IDs.
He told True North that he only voted once in his real riding but that he used the same method as he did during his exposé with his true identity.
Spencer opted not to include his last name out of fear of legal reprisal. He sought to expose potential flaws in Ontario’s election system, with his primary concern being, the lack of a requirement for photo identification.
When first reported by True North, Elections Ontario said only that it was investigating the video but did not clarify if it was investigating the vulnerabilities Spencer purported to uncover or if they were investigating Spencer himself.
When Spencer reached out to Elections Ontario to voice his concerns and share his findings, Kyle Katsuyama, the Acting Manager for Compliance Enforcement at Elections Ontario, told him he had to take the video down.
“Thank you for contacting Elections Ontario today. Upon further review, we have determined that the video here violated the privacy of our staff we are requesting that you remove this video immediately,” Katsuyama told Spencer in an email shared with True North.
A week after True North’s reporting, Elections Ontario has yet to confirm whether it is taking the alleged election vulnerabilities seriously or if there are any guard rails beyond the point of attestation which would have prevented any voter fraud from occurring.
According to Elections Ontario’s website, a voter in Ontario without a voter information card can use one of 29 documents showing the voter’s name and address. Acceptable “proof” of address and ID include a paid receipt, documents certified by the Canadian government or, in Spencer’s case, a bank account or credit card statement.
Spencer shared with True North images of the documents he used. One of the fake names used was “Corey Trevor,” a reference to the comedy series Trailer Park Boys.
However, there are guardrails against fraud in the election. Sections 95 and 97 of the Election Act in Ontario, enacted in 1990, impose fines of $5,000 for documents or presented false information to an elections officer. Section 97.1 says offenders are liable to a $25,000 fine if found to have forged intentionally.
Spencer said he was concerned that if he was able to get to the point of casting a ballot in the election with an easily forgeable document, someone who was not a citizen could do so and likely be able to leave the country before Election Ontario were able to detect fraud if they ever did.
