Alberta NDP Executive Director Garett Spelliscy said the party is concerned Elections Alberta is failing to fulfill its duty to promote access to democracy during the Lethbridge-West byelection. While Alberta Premier Danielle Smith selected the December 18 byelection date, Spelliscy said it will occur during a snowy winter and close to the Christmas holidays, impacting voter turnout. “We understand this was the Premier’s decision,” said Spelliscy in a Monday letter to Alberta Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure.“However, ensuring that electors know when and where to vote is an essential duty for Elections Alberta.”.He said the NDP was “deeply concerned that Elections Alberta will not send voter cards in Lethbridge-West, meaning electors will not receive the information regarding where and when they can vote, and Elections Alberta has not planned adequately to ensure voters receive this information in light of the ongoing strike at Canada Post.”While Elections Alberta’s plans to issue social media posts and ads through the Lethbridge Herald is constructive, he said it is inadequate. The executive director went on to say seniors face unique barriers to voting in this byelection because of Smith’s decision to call it in the middle of winter given the icy roads and sidewalks. This is because seniors are less likely to access information through social media. To exacerbate this issue, Elections Alberta has not conducted an enumeration of voters since 2018. As of Sunday, its website had incorrect information about voting dates, saying election day was December 20 and its returning office was open November 19 to December 20. Given all of these challenges, he said the NDP wants Elections Alberta to conduct robust voter outreach to ensure all eligible voters have the information they need to vote and that it fulfills its role in stewarding the right to vote in Alberta through the provision of essential information. He noted robust voter outreach would include billboards and road signs across Lethbridge-West, radio ads, and a phoning and texting campaign to registered electors who would be receiving their voter cards under normal circumstances.Spelliscy concluded by saying byelections often have low voter turnout. He said Smith’s decision to call a byelection close to Christmas and Hanukkah risks a lower than typical turnout. “It is incumbent on Elections Alberta to ensure that turnout is not low because voters did not know when and where to vote,” he said. Elections Alberta spokesperson Robyn Bell confirmed its office received a letter from the NDP raising concerns about voter outreach amid the Canada Post strike. “Elections Alberta remains committed to removing barriers, sharing information and encouraging participation throughout the democratic process,” said Bell.“I'm sharing an overview of our strategy for getting voting information out to electors.”Some of the ways Bell said this would be done will be two full page ads in the Lethbridge Herald, flyers distributed in Lethbridge-West that inform electors how to find their voting place, 240 radio ads across all six local radio stations, a robust social media and Google Search campaign, and one-to-one outreach with communities experiencing unique barriers to voting to offer mobile voting stations. She said it will be issuing a press release with this information soon.McClure confirmed on Wednesday a writ was issued to hold a byelection in Lethbridge-West to elect a new MLA..UPDATED: Lethbridge-West byelection scheduled for December 18 .Election day has been scheduled for December 18. “Appointments have been made for the Returning Officer and Election Clerk in Lethbridge-West and they are ready to conduct voting in the electoral division,” said McClure.
