Some allegations of election fraud have surfaced in Essex.
Councillor Sherry Bondy, who won again Monday in the municipal election, has received several complaints of proxy ballots being signed without proper consent.
Proxy ballots are used to give someone permission to vote on behalf of another person.
"It is about the process and about my voters and constituents," she says. "It is a vulnerable population in Harrow. Older Portuguese people who I'm starting to see a pattern."
Speaking on AM800's the Morning Drive, Bondy says it started during the advance polls on October 13th and continued on election day.
Town of Essex Councillor Sherry Bondy attends the regular meeting of council on April 3, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
She believes some signatures were forged on the proxy ballots.
"If one proxy vote in my community was taken or fraudulent, then one is too many," she adds. "I also think there is some people who got taken advantage of and didn't know what they were signing because there is a language barrier."
AM800 News reached out to town CAO Donna Hunter who provided the following statement:
“At this time we can only confirm that the Town has received two official complaints of proxies being signed without the consent of the electors. These complaints have been forwarded to the OPP for investigation.”
Bondy went to the OPP Thursday morning and police have confirmed an investigator is looking into it.
Robbie Shepley, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor, issued the following statement to CTV Windsor:
"I do not believe any candidate who ran in the Town of Essex for municipal office (Mayor) had anything to do with forgery, stealing votes of any kind. I have the utmost faith in our town staff that the election was run in accordance of election rules and regulations. It is my understanding the OPP are investigating hopefully they can resolve this quickly. it is my hope and belief they will find no wrong doing and hopefully we can move forward."