Faux paw for Christy Clark’s leadership campaign

The cat is out of the bag on Christy Clark’s campaign faux paw.

Now Clark and her organizers are scrambling to explain why a housecat has been signed up by her campaign team to cast a ballot for the next premier of B.C.

The BC Liberal party is reviewing the details surrounding the sign-up of a cat who shows up on the voters’ list as Olympia Marie Wawryk.

On Dec. 14 Olympia was signed up, having paid $10 for the priviledge of casting a ballot for the next premier of the province. The vote happens later this month.

BC Liberal party president Mickey Patryluk has said new measures the party adopted were meant to stop that kind of voter fraud.

There are six leadership candidates and the Liberal party has indicated it hopes to sign up at least 35,000 new members before the deadine of 5 p.m. this coming Friday.

Longtime political commentor Norman Ruff said over the years house pets did make it on to the voter’s lists. “In the old days, animals got on voter’s lists all the time,” he said.

In Clark’s case, he said the joke may have backfired. “Someone fessed up and said it was a joke,” he said Friday.

But Ruff, a University of Victoria political science professor emeritus, said those new sign-ups have the opportunity to help determine the province’s next premier. “Each one of these votes helps determine the premier of the province.,” he said. “It is significant.”

With the large number of sign-ups expected by the deadline date, Ruff said there could be more tales of animals getting the vote.

He said the abuse leads to people questioning the process. “These mass sign-ups can lead to cynicism,” he said. “People are laughing at this story of the cat.”

Shane Mills, a spokesman for the Clark campaign did not return calls. After Clark was informed of the error, she asked the party to delete the membership sign on.