More than half a million people have already signed up to receive their ballots for the Alberta referendum in the mail ahead of the Oct. 19 vote, but the window in which to do so closes at the end of this week.
In fact, it’s that high level of interest that prompted Elections Alberta earlier this month to move up the deadline to apply for the special ballots to Friday, Sept. 25 — a full two weeks earlier than what was originally planned and advertised (Oct. 9.)
Albertans have until Friday at midnight to apply for a special mail-in ballot and Elections Alberta says the ballots need to be returned by Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. in order to be counted.
The mail-in voting process requires the voter to include with their ballots a printed photocopy of their government-issued ID, showing proof of residence in Alberta.
Albertans have a few ways they can obtain their mail-in ballots:
- Mail the ballot to your home address
- Mail the ballot to an alternate address (for those working away from home, at school, on vacation, have recently moved and not updated their identification etc.)
- Pick the ballot up at your Returning Office or at Elections Alberta’s main office in Edmonton (Suite 100, 11510 Kingsway NW)
- Arrange for a designate to pick it up from the Returning Office or at Elections Alberta
In some cases, voters will need to have an attestation form filled out. That is a document authorized by the Chief Electoral Officer, to be used as a form of identification by electors in select circumstances.
Examples include people who live in a supportive living or long-term care facility, on a colony, in student housing on a campus in Alberta, or reside on a First Nation or Métis Settlement. It also applies for inmates and voters who receive services from a shelter or community support centre, and any elector who is renting out their ordinary residence.
Demand drives deadline change
Get breaking National news
As of Tuesday, more than 610,000 people had requested a mail-in ballot — more than 10 times the nearly 60,000 mail-in ballots requested for the province’s 2023 general election.
When Elections Alberta began to see a surge in requests in early September, they moved the date up in order to meet the demand for the ballots to be printed, sorted, mailed out, sent back in time for the referendum and then, of course, counted.
Dallas Stoesz, the deputy chief electoral officer for Elections Alberta, said the need to shift the deadline and the logistical challenges of doing so many mail-in ballots was emblematic of the historic nature of the 10-question vote set for Oct. 19.
Another reason the deadline was changed: to avoid complications in mail delivery that could arise as a result of the Thanksgiving holiday long weekend.
The agency anticipates a surge in final, last-minute requests and didn’t want that big push to come right before Oct. 12, when there is no mail service.
Albertans do not need to provide a reason to vote by mail. A statement on certain forms asks voters to declare they are unable to vote at advance voting, which takes place Oct. 13-17 or on the Oct. 19 referendum day — or face a fine.
Elections Alberta has clarified that language came from a previous version of the Election Act and can be ignored if it shows up in a voter’s ballot package.
- ‘The world we are in’: Ford government signals deficits will continue
- Ford government says ‘people voted’ to cancel Starlink deal, won’t reveal cost
- Nova Scotia’s government spent a record $1.9 billion outside of the budget process
- Ontario hospital plans to cut hundreds of jobs amid province-directed budget plan
The special ballots come attached to each other like a notepad, glued together at the top with a cardboard backing.
If any voters receive incomplete packages, they are urged to contact Elections Alberta immediately so the issue can be corrected before deadline.
The ballot contains 10 government-initiated questions dealing largely with immigration and constitutional reform, although public and political attention has focused on the final question asking Albertans whether they want to remain in Canada or proceed to a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation.
Because provincial law requires all ballots be counted by hand, unofficial results for the separation question won’t be available until, at the earliest, after midnight on Oct. 20.
Those who miss the Friday night application deadline can also vote in advance polling. Elections Alberta is setting up 310 polling stations that will run from Oct. 13-17.
The referendum, announced Feb. 19, initially contained the first nine questions pertaining to immigration and the Constitution.
Then on May 21, Premier Danielle Smith announced a 10th question was being added, putting the issue of Alberta separatism in the hands of voters.
The question: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada? Or should the government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
Elections Alberta has said administering the referendum will be a massive undertaking that will require at least 60,000 workers.
With files from The Canadian Press
Find Online Jobs (500$-6000$ Weekly) safe and secure! Easy Acces To Information. Simple in use. All the Answers. Multiple sources combined. Fast and trusted. Discover us now! Easy & Fast, 99% Match.
.
Follow Here ………Www.JobAtHome1.Com
I’m glad that every single Albertan could vote option 2 and that wouldn’t lead to seraration.
Why would anyone trust Canada Post with a referendum ballot on separating from Canada?
Why push mail in ballots. Those are for people who cannot vote at the polling stations on the day, or at the advanced polling stations. That should be a very limited number. Those in custody or care homes or out of province.
Nobody who is not able to vote at the regular sites should be asking for mail in ballots.
Most of these questions we re being asked are silly. Most are federal in nature, nothing to do with Smith and the UCP. Why is she not asking us on our opinion on their dreams of a provincial police force? Why not ask us about forcing our children to dress for school uniform day (where we wear school t-shirt to remember the entitled child who refused to wear their school uniform). Why not any questions about privatising health care?
More mail-in-ballots! We need them to be able to rig the outcome.