EDMONTON — The Alberta NDP claims its campaign to keep Alberta in Canada has complied with all election laws, amid speculation from independence supporters about the rise in special ballot requests for the Alberta referendum."The Alberta NDP has spent the summer fighting to save Canada and working within all election laws to do it," reads a statement from Alberta NDP executive director Heth Wilson, sent to the Western Standard on Monday.The statement comes after Elections Alberta announced that roughly 658,000 Albertans requested a special ballot (mail-in ballot) for the Alberta referendum on Oct. 19. With an 82% approval rate, this total is 11 times the number requested in the 2023 Alberta general election.Elections Alberta has largely attributed the increase in requests to legislative changes that allow all eligible voters to request a package, rather than the previous requirement that individuals provide a reason they could not vote in person.Other reasons could include individuals anticipating long lines at polling stations if 85% of Albertans vote in the referendum, as Elections Alberta has estimated. The increase could also relate to the number and complexity of the 10 referendum questions..Beyond those reasons, some Alberta independence supporters have speculated that the Alberta NDP may have requested a significant number of special ballots on behalf of individuals.The Alberta NDP has run a "For Alberta, For Canada" campaign for months, including rallies and events throughout Alberta, door-knocking and lawn sign distribution.Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi said in April that the party was launching the federalist campaign because the Alberta NDP has a large base of volunteers across Alberta, and political parties can do things TPAs cannot, such as using the electoral list to contact voters.Access to the electoral list led some to speculate that the Alberta NDP used it to request ballots for people. However, the party claims it has been "working within all election laws.".Pro-Alberta independence group The Centurion Project is currently under investigation for allegedly using Alberta's List of Electors in its campaign efforts. Salted names from a copy of the list issued to the Republican Party of Alberta were also found in its public database.The database was available on the group's website to members who signed up for the group. The list was reportedly used to help build a database of voters whom volunteers would then "claim" and attempt to sway in favour of Alberta independence.The incident remains under investigation.Some Alberta independents have made other attempts to cast doubt on the special ballot process, questioning what measures were in place to ensure that voters are real, Canadian citizens who ordinarily reside in Alberta. Elections Alberta requires individuals to provide a photocopy of their Alberta's Driver's License or Identification Card with their name and address, or two other pieces that include their name and one with an address. .The Alberta NDP claims it is not the party that should be suspected of violating election laws."It’s Danielle Smith and the UCP who have spent years rewriting voting rules and gerrymandering electoral boundaries to benefit themselves in an attempt to dodge accountability for their failing government," the statement from Wilson reads.A panel is redrawing Alberta's electoral maps for a UCP-led committee after the UCP government voted to partially adopt the recommendations of an original committee. The UCP says the panel will take the recommended maps and redesign them by adding back two rural ridings that were initially removed.
