Longest Ballot Committee, a grassroots group that stuffs ridings with protest candidates, is planning to put up to 200 names on the Battle River–Crowfoot byelection ballot, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre needs to win to return to Parliament after losing Carleton on election night.In an email, the committee told “friends and former candidates” it has already fielded “dozens and dozens” of volunteers. Anyone wanting to run must send a legal name and phone number by May 12. If 200 people sign up, the group vows to “make a long ballot happen.”The committee says it uses oversized slates to spotlight what it calls an “obvious conflict of interest” as politicians write the rules that elect them. .It wants those decisions handed to an arm’s‑length citizens assembly.Its tactics made headlines in last month’s federal vote, when it registered 85 of the record‑breaking 91 names that crowded Poilievre’s former riding of Carleton. That stunt drew national attention and set a Canadian record that the group now hopes to surpass.Battle River–Crowfoot appears tailor‑made for a record breaking attempt. The rural Alberta seat delivered 81% of its 2021 votes to the Conservatives, suggesting Poilievre faces little traditional opposition. .Running is free, candidates don’t have to live locally, but each must secure 100 signatures from riding residents.“Politicians should not control election laws,” said the committee’s message. “Long ballots force voters to see the problem and demand reform.”Poilievre spent the weekend touring a constituent farm with outgoing MP Damien Kurek, posting that it would be “an honour” to win the seat and “champion common‑sense values.” Poilievre’s campaign has not addressed the protest effort..Elections Canada has procedures for lengthy ballots, though more names would inflate printing costs and slow the count. Undeterred, the Longest Ballot Committee says it will keep targeting high profile races until Ottawa moves election power “out of the hands of those who benefit most.”
