Elections Alberta has begun verifying signatures on the citizen initiative petition seeking a referendum on Alberta independence following a Court of Appeal ruling that allows the process to move ahead while a legal challenge continues.The verification process started Monday after the Alberta Court of Appeal issued a partial stay on June 29, directing Elections Alberta to proceed with verifying the petition and reporting the results, despite an ongoing appeal by petition proponent Mitch Sylvestre.The independence petition asks Albertans: "Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?"Sylvestre submitted the petition's signature sheets to Elections Alberta on May 4 after the 120-day signature collection period ended on May 2. However, verification was suspended after the Court of King's Bench issued a stay and later quashed the petition. Sylvestre has since appealed that decision.Under Alberta's Citizen Initiative Act, a constitutional referendum petition requires at least 177,732 valid signatures — equivalent to 10% of the votes cast in the previous provincial election — to proceed.Elections Alberta has up to 21 days to complete the verification process and must achieve a 95% confidence level using the verification methods prescribed in legislation. Results are expected to be posted on the agency's website no later than July 27..The verification process includes confirming that only authorized petition sheets were used, ensuring signatures are original and that electors signed only once during the petition period, and checking that each signature contains the required information, including the signer's name, address, contact information, date, signature and eligibility declaration.Officials will also verify that each petition sheet was witnessed and signed by a registered canvasser. In addition, Elections Alberta will conduct statistically valid random sampling to confirm signatories reside in Alberta and contact selected individuals to verify they signed the petition.Electors whose signatures are selected for verification may receive a text message before a phone call from Elections Alberta or an email requesting confirmation of their information. The agency is asking those who signed the petition to be prepared to respond if contacted.Elections Alberta also confirmed it will apply enhanced verification measures introduced by Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure on May 1. The process includes screening petitions for "seeded names" from the Republican Party of Alberta's List of Electors. If any of those names appear on the petition, the signatures will receive additional scrutiny.If the petition is found to have enough valid signatures, Elections Alberta will submit the constitutional referendum proposal to Alberta's Minister of Justice. Under the Citizen Initiative Act, the minister would then refer the proposal to the Lieutenant Governor in Council for consideration under the Referendum Act.Elections Alberta said the petition materials have remained sealed, secured and under continuous monitoring since they were submitted in May. The agency emphasized it remains an independent, non-partisan office responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections and referendums.No matter what happened, Albertans will vote Oct. 19 in a referendum on wehther or not to have a binding referendum.
