ALBERTA — Elections Alberta is contacting voters whose returned referendum special-ballot packages were missing declarations, identification or other required information, giving them an opportunity to correct the problem before their ballots are rejected.

The election agency told The Canadian Press that about 3,000 returned packages required corrections, representing roughly 1.2 per cent of approximately 250,000 packages received.

Voters can send missing information

Elections Alberta spokesperson Maia Hanrahan said affected voters have been contacted and may provide the required information by email. Packages that remain incomplete will be rejected, she said, while many voters have already responded with corrections.

The agency’s published rules require a completed declaration and a clear copy of accepted identification in each special-ballot package. Its guidance says election staff may contact a voter about missing documents before the receipt deadline.

Mail deadline is October 16

Completed special ballots must reach Elections Alberta by mail no later than 5 p.m. Friday, October 16. The agency recommends mailing packages by October 9. Albertans may also vote during advance voting from October 13 to 17 or in person on referendum day, October 19, subject to safeguards that prevent a person from voting twice.

Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday that the correction process shows the system is working. Her assessment is a political response; Elections Alberta, an independent office of the legislature, is responsible for administering the vote and deciding whether a package meets the legal requirements.

Sources: The Canadian Press via CityNews, October 7; Elections Alberta special-ballot rules and deadlines.

Lead image: flag of Alberta via Wikimedia Commons; not a photograph of a ballot package, voter or election official.