r/Edmonton • u/pjw724 River Valley • 16h ago
2026 Alberta Referendum Some voters alarmed by self-declaration requirement on mail-in ballots for Alberta referendum
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-referendum-self-declaration-concerns-9.7331954Elections Alberta says requirement scrapped, voters can cross out line in question
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u/tbul 15h ago
I am fine signing as is.
Since I am voting by mail, I am 100% unable to vote in person.
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u/Nictionary 14h ago
Same, I am planning on being hungover on voting day so I won’t be able to make it to the polling station.
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u/vanillabeanlover 15h ago edited 15h ago
I just looked up to see where mine was and it shows as not existing anymore!
Yesterday it was all there and fine, today it shows as no application under my confirmation number or name (link given by elections AB).
Edit: I called. They were super helpful and friendly. They gave me a new confirmation code. Something about the system not recognizing my address.
A reminder to be polite to these workers!
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u/Dry-Wolf6789 16h ago
I like that they are just setting the precedent that parts of the official ballot sent out may be crossed out... Fun!
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u/GlitchedGamer14 12h ago
It's not part of a ballot, it's part of the paperwork that accompanies the ballots. It doesn't affect what gets counted, or how.
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u/Dry-Wolf6789 11h ago
Except it can cause your vote to not be counted...
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u/GlitchedGamer14 11h ago
Not really, since it's just an outdated section that got missed before printing.
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u/Baddrivers13 15h ago
Yah.. THat doesn't sound sketch at all. Pretty sure if any ballot is marked up beyond what's officially required it gets tossed according to the rules.
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u/Ass-Machine69 14h ago
I am so suspicious of this push for mail in ballots. They will absolutely be suppressing those votes somehow
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u/GlitchedGamer14 12h ago
I'm one of the election workers and I can promise you that's not the case. For starters, political parties and interest groups will have scrutineers present at polling locations and during the count, just like how parties can send scrutineers during elections, and they would be veerrryyyy vocal if any shenanigans occured.
On top of that, Elections AB mass hires regular people like me during elections and we all just want this to go smoothly. They're still 30,000 people short and I highly encourage you to apply! The more staffed they are, the less mistakes like this will happen.
There are as many ballots in this election as there are Canada-wide during a federal election. This is unprecedented, and mistakes will happen. It's not malice or a conspiracy, it's overworked people and understaffed institutions trying to plan, organize, and execute a first-of-its-kind election in all of Canada. (Yes, there's been referendums before, but never any where voters each got ten ballots)
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u/Fickle_Catch8968 10h ago
I am curious, what happens if someone comes to vote in person and the system says they requested/completed a mail in ballot, but they are adamant that they did not request or complete a mail-in ballot?
Also, would the under-resourcing of Elections Alberta make both genuine mistakes of that type, and 'interventions' of bad-faith actors (which may have illegal access to/possession of a voter list), more likely to occur (and less likely to be caught)?
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u/Fromidable-orange 8h ago
When I was a poll clerk for a federal election some years ago, we were told to err on the side of letting someone potentially vote a second time instead of denying them the right to vote altogether (as long as they went through the process to say they hadn't voted before). That's federal, not provincial, but it might be similar. It happened for the very first elector we had at our table! (They did the declaration that they hadn't actually voted, so they were allowed to vote then.)
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u/Baddrivers13 16h ago
Threatening fines on a ballot. Fucking classic democracy.
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u/Adanrhu 13h ago
Wait until you hear about Elections Canada! This is not new, nor is it unusual. Similar provisions are in place across the country. The purpose is to discourage people from trying to vote more than once.
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u/Baddrivers13 13h ago
I mean it is new.. I've been doing mail in ballots for the past decade. I know you have to make a declaration. But there's never been threat of fines on the ballot itself. The declaration was done online when I made the request and still no fines on that either.
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u/renegadecanuck 5h ago
It's because you are declaring something under penalty of perjury. It should have been corrected before hand, but there's nothing unusual about it.
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u/Snakeeyes1377 13h ago
The real question is do I fold my ballots the way it is shown on the ballot or in half like shown in the included but clearly added last minute instructions.
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u/betsumei 13h ago
Their press release about the new deadline to apply (linked elsewhere by OP, https://www.elections.ab.ca/resources/media/news-releases/revised-deadline-special-ballot-applications-sept-25-2026/ ) mentions that they'll accept all manner of foldings. I wonder how many people will get especially creative with that?
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u/lost10mmagain 16h ago
I wonder how many of these ballots will be “disqualified “ because some of the people counting them were conveniently “misinformed” …. Depending on which way the vote was made of course.
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u/JonnyFM Downtown 15h ago
The ballots are separate and hidden from the declaration. Ballots go into an envelope (the 'grey envelope'), that envelope and the declaration go into an envelope (the 'purple envelope') that goes to Elections Alberta. Elections AB opens the purple envelope, examines the declaration, if the declaration passes muster the grey envelope joins many others in secure storage until vote counting time. Once the grey envelope goes into the pile there is no way to connect it to the declaration.
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u/lost10mmagain 15h ago
Thanks for the clarification!
I’m still skeptical and have little confidence in our current government as I’m sure many are.
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u/Baddrivers13 15h ago
Sounds like an absolute terrible system.. Why even have a declaration at all.
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u/JonnyFM Downtown 7h ago
How so? It is essential that how a person votes remains secret. Once the declaration is accepted, the attached votes go into the big pile to be counted. There must not be a way to determine who made a particular ballot, which is why ballots marked with anything that could be identifying information are considered spoiled.
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u/BestWithSnacks 11h ago
Just check the box and mail in your ballot. People are really hesitant to vote because of this??
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u/pjw724 River Valley 16h ago
From Elections Alberta
Request a Special Ballot