A Burnaby man is questioning the validity of an anti-photography policy by Elections BC.
On the General Voting Day of the 2013 provincial election, Scott Brynen noticed a “No Photography” sign at his local polling station in the Burnaby-Lougheed riding. He called the voting authority later that day and was told someone would get back to him about the signs, but he says he has yet to receive a response.
“The offense that there’s so many people these days getting shut down by public officials saying, ‘You can’t photograph here,’ it’s just one of those things that drives me crazy,” said Brynen, who filed a Freedom of Information request last week about the policy. “It’s a pretty topical thing, given there’s photographers getting arrested in Ferguson, Mo. right now.”
While photographers’ rights have been widely discussed in the wake of current events, Don Main, communications manager with Elections BC, said their policy isn’t so much a public space issue. Rather, he said the policy is intended to maintain voters’ privacy and the secrecy of the vote.
“We generally don’t allow photography in a voting place,” he told the NOW. “People need to feel confident that they’re voting in a secret ballot. That’s a principle of democracy.”
When asked if the rise of smartphones influenced the policy, Main said the policy has been around before the popularity of phones with cameras skyrocketed. However, he said Elections BC also limits the use of cellphones by election officials working in voting places for the same privacy concerns.
Main also noted that, in the case of journalists taking photos at polling stations, media are only allowed to photograph when given approval by the district electoral officer beforehand.
