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Frank Mueggenburg wants to vote in the Conservative Party of British Columbia’s leadership contest but won’t, because he’s incensed by the requirement to provide proof of his identity to a U.S. company.
“I’m fit to be tied, to be honest with you,” Mueggenburg said on the phone from South Surrey. “It’s cheating me of a vote.”
The Conservatives are using Persona Identities Inc., based in San Francisco, California, to handle the verification process, saying on the party website that it “ensures the integrity of the vote and confirms that the person casting a ballot is the actual member they claim to be.”
The process requires members to upload government-issued identification such as a driver’s licence, passport or Nexus card to prove their name and address. Persona will store members’ biometric information for as long as three years, though it may be destroyed sooner if the party’s leadership organizing committee authorizes it.
People’s personal information is safe with the company, the party says on its website. “Data is stored in an encrypted format,” it says. “Persona provides verification services for large companies, including Tesla, Square, OpenAI and many others.”
Mueggenburg, who is 72 years old, said he sees privacy as a fundamental right that’s closely connected to individual freedom. He’s concerned the company may fail to follow B.C.’s privacy laws and that it may be hacked.
“There’s no way I can in all good consciousness subject myself to digital ID,” he said. “Once you’ve done that, once you’re in the system, that’s it, you’re done, you’re cooked.”
He said he knows at least a dozen other Conservative members who share his commitment to privacy and won’t vote because of how the party is handling the verification process, though he acknowledges other members, especially younger ones, may be unconcerned.
The party should provide other options for people unwilling to share their personal information with a U.S. company, Mueggenburg said. Past referendums, general elections and other leadership contests in Canada have all been conducted without such a requirement, he said.
In the recent federal Liberal party leadership contest, voters had a choice of verifying their identity and address in person at a Canada Post office or through the Canada Post Identity+ app.
The Conservatives are offering some in-person help with verification this week at various locations in the province but warn that “the verification process is identical whether you complete it at home or in person and still uses the online verification system Persona.”
Conservative Party of BC president Angelo Isidorou said in an email that the party takes election security very seriously.
"We have partnered with a major company to provide a private, secure way for members to verify their ID and vote," he said. "Thus far, thousands have already verified. Upon completion of the race, all relevant data will be destroyed."
Five candidates remain in the Conservative leadership race: former BC Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black, former BC United party vice-president Caroline Elliott, former Conservative member of Parliament Kerry-Lynne Findlay, entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer and Conservative MLA Peter Milobar.
When the deadline for signing up new members eligible to vote passed on April 18, the party said it had 42,000 members. Voting opens on May 23, and the winner will be announced on May 30 at an event in Vancouver.
“In my view, requiring individuals to submit digital personal data as the only condition of voting creates a barrier that may exclude people on the basis of privacy concerns, technological access or personal preference,” said Mueggenburg.
“This raises broader questions about fairness and accessibility,” he said. “My main concern is whether such requirements align with democratic principles.” ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
Read more: BC Politics
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