CTVNews.ca Staff
Unclear directions, traffic jams and a bustling anime convention next door made it challenging for several Conservative members to cast votes in the leadership race on Saturday, with one member becoming so frustrated that he tossed his ballot at the party’s president.
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Some voters say the unforeseen difficulties prevented them from casting ballots before the 4 p.m. ET cut-off time.
One Conservative member travelled all the way from Fort McMurray, Alta. with his wife to attend the Toronto conference. He said the candidates’ speeches on Friday night changed his mind, and he planned to vote for his new choice Saturday.
But unexpected traffic delays of up to one hour outside the Toronto Congress Centre, which was also hosting a massive anime convention, meant that he didn’t get to the ballot box in time.
When the Fort McMurray member’s vote was turned away, he tossed his ballot at Scott Lamb, president of the Conservative Party.
“They should’ve allowed us in. They should’ve accepted our votes,” the member told CTV News. “It’s terribly frustrating.”
The member added that he’s volunteered in past federal elections and saw how small hiccups, such as a missing volunteer, could prompt officials to extend voting times.
“Apparently the (Conservative) membership doesn’t have the same rights,” he said.
A new member of the party, who gave his name as Syiam, ran into a similar issue. He arrived at the voting hall at 4 p.m., just as the doors were closing. Approximately 20 other members were left outside the doors.
“We asked the executive director if he could speak to the CRO to see if any consideration can be made, considering there’s 6,000 people in the hall beside us and there’s unfortunately no directions to point us to here,” Syiam said.
He blamed poor communications for not giving members clear instructions as to where to vote.
“No communication was provided which building it’s located in plus what hall it’s in,” Syiam said. “Things can be done better.”
The first results from the leadership race are expected Saturday evening, starting around 5:45 ET.
A view of some booths at the event.
A cosplayer as Sans, a character from video game ''''.
 performers.
One participatory session saw martial artists teach the basics of the fighting systems referenced in '''' and ''''.
Cosplayer as newspaper editor  interacting with another man as Spider-Man.
A cosplayer as Tohru from .
A manga dealer.
The Ferocious Beast ( PixelyEmily) danced on the outdoor stage during a 90s Cartoons dance event.
 is “by the fans, for the fans”, event chair Irwin Tan told Wikinews in an interview at the event, Saturday. Started by a group of university anime clubs in 1997, it has grown to become one of the largest conventions of its kind in North America, spanning three days, five venues, and tens of thousands of fans.

Along with the dealer's hall, industry tables, and artist booths typical of conventions, Anime North's  convention floor included a formal gallery space, a charity auction in support of Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital, an aerial performer, gaming tables, archery tag, dance events, and outdoor concerts. At one of the hotels surrounding the main venue, an entire 5000 volume manga library was available, for attendees looking to take a quiet pause. Full programming tracks about ball-jointed dolls — Doll North — and homoerotic-themed anime and manga — Yaoi/Yuri North — were also given entire hotels to themselves, allowing them to offer extensive programming.

As with many fan conventions, many fans attended in cosplay of their favourite characters. Some outfits included massive props, like wings, weapons, or even an additional character riding on their back. A variety of anime and manga worlds were represented, as well as video games like '''', Western comic books, Disney characters, even "Smug ", and the Ferocious Beast from ''''. The event offered panels to help costume creators and wearers develop in their hobby, such as "Thermoplastics for Cosplay", looking at the pliable polymers used to create things like character armour, and "Social Media for Cosplayers".

The cosplay subculture of , for which masks of mainly human characters are worn, was well-represented. Ride the Pig Studios, a Nevada-based studio, was set up in the industry section with a photo booth for attendees to get a photo with practitioners of the craft, and two sessions, including one hosted by Kazunori Uhyo Sugiura, a university professor attending from Japan.

Anime North was deemed the fourth largest convention in North American with a primary theme of anime, in 2016, by ''AnimeCons.com''.

Cosplay coverage continues after the interview.