The RCMP are investigating whether offences were committed in the handling of proxy votes in the Whitehorse Centre riding.

“Based on information received, it appears that an offence, or offences under the Elections Act, have occurred,” Elections Yukon said in a statement issued Monday evening.

“The matter has been referred to the RCMP for investigation.”

The investigation was launched after Tamara Goeppel, the Yukon Liberal Party candidate in Whitehorse Centre, organized proxy votes for 10 “vulnerable people” in her riding, the party said in a statement this morning.

Proxy votes are intended for use by voters who will be out of the territory during the campaign.

“Tamara was well-intentioned and genuine in her desire to help everybody have a voice and everybody that’s eligible to vote to vote in the election,” said Laura Cabott, the chair of the Liberal campaign.

“She made a mistake, and that is now being investigated.”

Liz Hanson, the NDP leader and the incumbent/candidate in Whitehorse Centre, did not take lightly news of the RCMP investigation.

Today, she called on party leader Sandy Silver to remove Goeppel from his team of candidates.

“She’s under investigation for violating the Elections Act, she’s openly admitted that she’s done that, her own campaign chair has said that this was wrong, and I think it’s an important thing for the leader to do the right thing and withdraw his support for the candidate,” Hanson told the Star in an interview early this afternoon.

Despite several attempts by the Star, Goeppel could not be reached for an interview before this afternoon’s press deadline.

Under the Elections Act, a voter who knows she will be out of the territory and unable to vote, may permit another person – a proxy – to vote on her behalf.

She can also ask a candidate or political party to find someone to vote for her.

(Voters who live in parts of the Yukon with no highway access to a polling place, or regular mail service, can also vote by proxy, but must do so before the election is called.)

At the polling station, the proxy must declare before a returning officer that, to the best of his knowledge, the voter for whom he is casting a ballot is out of the territory.

Liberal candidates were briefed “a number of times” about voting by proxy, special ballot and advanced ballot, said Cabott.

She was asked whether the Liberal party is encouraging Goeppel to return the proxy votes she gathered.

Cabott said, “The Yukon Liberal Party fully supports the chief electoral officer and that office in their mandate.”

This will be the last Yukon election to allow proxy voting, Dave Wilkie, the assistant to the chief electoral officer, confirmed this afternoon.

The legislative assembly voted to eliminate proxy voting in December 2015. The necessary amendments to the Elections Act will come into effect 30 days after the return of the writ for this election.

The RCMP did not respond to the Star’s inquiries before this afternoon’s deadline.

A person guilty of an offence under the Elections Act could face a fine of up to $5,000, up to one year in jail, or both.

See related story and letter.