Province proposes election changes

By Lethbridge Herald on May 2, 2025.

Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald

The Alberta government has introduced legislation which it believes will strengthen democracy in the province.

The Elections Statutes Amendment Act 2025, which was tabled in the legislature on Tuesday afternoon, contains numerous changes including  a provision that will require unofficial vote counts to be completed  within 12 hours of polls closing so Albertans receive timely and  reliable results.

The amendments also formalize the province’s ban on electronic voting tabulators and other automated voting machines, the province which is insisting that all ballots be counted by hand “to protect election integrity.”

In March, Lethbridge city council unanimously supported an official business motion presented by councillor Rajko Dodic asking the  provincial government to let the City of Lethbridge tabulate votes in  October’s municipal election by its own preferred method.

Council heard late last year that the UCP government’s ban on electronic voting tabulators will increase the City’s cost of running  the election by about $300,000 and substantially delay results being  determined. This means the fall vote could cost the City about $650,000 to run the election.

An amendment to the Act also call for voters being required to cast  ballots in their constituency of residence or by requesting a special ballot. Another amendment expands access to special ballots to allow  any voter to request one without needing to provide a reason.

Under the legislation, special ballots will be allowed to be sent to  international destinations, military members and remote areas in  advance of the writ for an election. Voters will be required to  request a special ballot themselves, except in instances where they  need assistance because of disability. The signature on special ballots will have to match the signature on a voter’s I.D.

The Act, if approved, will also require every population centre with 1,000 or more electors to have at least one voting place open on  election day and at least one day for an advance polling station to be  open.

And vouching for voters will be eliminated by the expansion of the types of identification that can be used to prove residency.

Another change includes updating the Recall Act to make it easier for residents to hold their elected officials accountable by lowering the  signature threshold and increasing the time to collect those signatures.

The Act will also set the threshold for all successful petitions at 10 per cent of eligible voters who participated in the last general election.

And under the Act, corporate and union contributions would be allowed for provincial elections “while maintaining transparency and accountability through existing financial disclosure requirements.”