Last September and October, Metro Vancouver media outlets went into overdrive to report on allegations of election fraud in Surrey.

However, by the time the RCMP had looked into the matter, it appeared the extent of any potential wrongdoing was far less significant than the firestorm that the coverage created.

The Mounties said before the October 20 election that they had discovered 67 fraudulent applications to vote by mail—and no ballots had actually been sent out.

"Across Surrey-based South Asian social media threads, Whatsapp chat groups, and Punjabi-language radio talk shows, gossiping over this latest scandal—or appearance of a scandal—has become the latest guilty pleasure," Straight contributor Jagdeesh Mann wrote on this website last October. "This issue, which for the past two weeks has overshadowed actual policy matters relevant to the Surrey election, has tarnished the image of the city’s politics-mad South Asian community." 

Surrey's population is around a half million. Police did not link any of the mayoral candidates to these shenanigans.

Today, the RCMP announced that its major crime section has completed its probe and a report has gone to the B.C. Prosecution Service to assess whether charges should be laid.

Under B.C.'s charge-approval process, there are two steps:

* the charge must be deemed by the Crown to be in the public interest;

* and there must be a substantial likelihood of conviction.

The RCMP has revealed that during the investigation, another complaint was made alleging that a Surrey Election Office employee "attempted to influence a voter".

This employee was quickly removed and the election office has insisted that the vote was fair and transparent.

"Allegations such as these are rare, but important to investigate to ensure the integrity of our democratic process,” Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said in a news release. “We thank the public for their patience while we completed this investigation.”