Tweeting Early Election Results Could Lead to Fines

A law preventing media from broadcasting election results before all polling stations have closed is facing a new challenge from social media.

Elections Canada issued an early warning to Twitterers with antsy thumbs for election day: Don't tweet early results or you could face a $25,000 fine. Anyone who publishes election results before all polling stations have closed is breaking the Elections Act, but the agency will only investigate if people register complaints with the authorities. The policy was created to prevent television and radio broadcasts from affecting voters in Western Canada, but now Elections Canada is bound by law to pursue anyone who breaks this law, regardless of the medium that is used. And there is precedent: After the 2000 election, a Vancouver blogger was fined $1,000 for posting early results from the East Coast.