Rob Ford (open Rob Ford's policard) was asked to leave an advance polling station outside his own ward on Thursday after apparently campaigning illegally on the voting site.

The Star was given an account of the incident by a witness who asked to remain anonymous. The city confirmed most of that account.

Ford could not immediately be reached for comment.

In an email, the witness said Ford, who is running for a council seat in Ward 2 Etobicoke North, was inside Driftwood Community Centre near Jane St. and Driftwood Ave. around 3:30 p.m. while the advance poll was taking place.

A photo appears to show Ford, wearing a pinstriped suit, inside the centre just outside the room where voting was taking place. A yellow sign marking the voting place can be seen behind him.

The witness said Ford had to be escorted from the building by city security, where he “continued persuading members of the public to vote” as he lingered in the parking lot outside.

City spokesperson Leisa Odlum confirmed Ford was at the community centre Thursday and was asked to leave, but said Ford left on his own and was not escorted from the polling station.

“Staff at the voting location advised him that campaigning is not permitted anywhere within the designated voting place. Our understanding is that once he was advised of this, he left the voting location,” she said in an email.

Odlum said Ford “was speaking with electors and having photos taken. Staff at the location advised him that it was not permitted anywhere within the designated voting location.”

Campaigning of any kind is not allowed at voting locations, as set out by Ontario’s Municipal Elections Act. It prohibits campaigning inside the building and also on the property where the building is located.

The Act says: “While an elector is in a voting place, no person shall attempt, directly or indirectly, to influence how the elector votes.”

It’s not clear why Ford was at the location Thursday.

Though also in the northwest end of the city, the Driftwood Community Centre is some distance from the Etobicoke ward where Ford is running to be councillor — separated by another ward.

Ford’s brother, Doug Ford (open Doug Ford's policard), who replaced him in the race for mayor last month when Rob was diagnosed with a rare cancer, was campaigning downtown on Spadina Ave. on Thursday afternoon.

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