Elections Alberta is responding to growing online claims that people who do not live in Alberta can obtain special ballots for the province’s upcoming referendum, saying special-ballot applications are subject to multiple verification steps before a ballot is issued. In a series of social-media posts over the weekend, the independent election agency rejected allegations that anyone in Canada can simply request and receive a special ballot by completing an online application. “Without a valid voter record match, the application would not be approved and a ballot would not be sent,” Elections Alberta said in one response to a user claiming out-of-province residents could obtain ballots.
Election officials also said identification is required during voter registration and when voting by special ballot. “The voter registration site you’ve linked requires identification as well. Special ballots also require the same ID as voting in person,” the agency wrote on their verified X account (formerly known as Twitter).
The response was one of several posted by the agency as social-media users raised questions about how voter eligibility is verified, whether residency checks are conducted and whether non-Albertans could attempt to participate in the vote. Elections Alberta said even in the unlikely event a ballot were issued improperly, a returned special-ballot package would still have to meet identification requirements before it could be accepted and counted.
Officials’ latest responses build on information released Sept. 18, when Elections Alberta reported receiving nearly 520,000 special-ballot applications. The agency also disclosed that about 7,200 applications had been delayed because of addressing errors, typos and other issues, and that a production error resulted in 313 special-ballot packages being sent without ballots before replacement packages were issued.
Referendum voting day is Oct. 19. Advance voting is scheduled for Oct. 13 to 17, while applications for special ballots close Sept. 25. TWilkie@postmedia.com