Elections Canada will lay charges against shockumentary filmmaker Michael Moore.
Officially, Elections Canada will neither confirm nor deny plans to lay formal charges against Moore. However, Canadafreepress.com has learned through sources that charges are imminent and expected by the end of next week.
The anti-Bush Moore, who often lets his mouth get ahead of him, may think he got away with the boner of the Canadian release of Fahrenheit 9/11 just days ahead of the June 28 federal election, but there is the little matter of election law infringement.
Moore’s pre-election advice lecturing Canadian voters not to vote Conservative quickly enraged a number of Conservative Party supporters who launched the website: http://www.chargemoore.com in an effort to encourage Elections Canada to uphold its own law.
Moore’s tactics encompass what legal beagles believe is a direct violation of Canada electoral law. Under the “Non-Interference by Foreigners” clause (Part 11, Division 9, section 331) of the Canadian Elections Act:
No person who does not reside in Canada shall, during an election period, in any way induce electors to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate unless the person is
1. a Canadian citizen; or
2. a permanent resident within the meaning of subsection 2 (1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
And the United States:
Moore: "Pick five of the people you know who probably aren’t going to vote. Acknowledge their despair and cynicism. Don’t try to talk them out of it. But gently give them pieces of information over the next few months. And then make a plan for Election Day. Take them out to vote and out to lunch (you pick up the tab!). Or have a party that night for those who voted that day. Or get more creative. Offer a six-pack to anyone in the office who votes (make sure you’re not working in cubicles full of Republicans!). Promise to have sex with a nonvoter - whatever it takes."
Conspiracy to commit voter fraud! More specifically, conspiracy to buy votes. You see, my friends, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ( and more specifically the 1973 amendment, 42 U.S.C 1973i(c)) says that:
"Whoever knowingly or willfully gives false information as to his name, address or period of residence in the voting district for the purpose of establishing his eligibility to register or vote, or conspires with another individual for the purpose of encouraging his false registration to vote or illegal voting, or pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."This statute prohibits “vote buying” in the broadest terms possible by forbidding any “payment” or "offer of payment" that is made to a would-be voter “for voting” or to induce unregistered individuals to get onto the electoral roles. A “payment” encompasses anything of material value including lottery chances.
...
Moore, however isn’t the only entity with strong feelings when it comes to voter fraud. I guess you could say the Federal Election Committee will do whatever it takes to prosecute people who even attempt to buy votes.
For example:
5 People in Statesville, N.C. are on trial as of March 1st, 2004 for attempting to buy votes for as little as $10. ( about the price of a dinner or a six pack) They face up to 25 years each for simply asking to buy votes.
He may have also struck Aussieland:
CONTROVERSIAL American filmmaker Michael Moore urged Australians to vote out the Howard government at the forthcoming election for its role in the Iraq war.
I don't know about Aussie election law however...this may be just fine and dandy...
