EDMONTON, AB: UCP MLA Mark Smith (Drayton Valley-Devon) has introduced Bill 204 in the Alberta Legislature, better known as the “Election Recall Act.”.The bill will allow any eligible voter in Alberta to initiate a recall petition drive to effectively fire their MLA, but only after an 18 month window since that MLA was last elected. To recall an MLA, the petitioner will require the verified, non-digital signatures of 40 per cent of eligible voters in a constituency..The petitioners will also be limited to a 60 campaign to collect the required signatures. Failing to collect the required signatures inside of this window will effectively end the recall drive..Reached for comment, Smith said, “For me, this is about empowering the people of Alberta, and allowing them to have the capacity to have final say…To have a by-election, should they need it.”.While platform commitments normally come in the form of official government legislation, Bill 204 is being introduced as a private member’s bill. According to Smith, he inquired with his caucus about introducing the bill himself privately..While it is likely that the bill will pass with majority UCP support, questions still remain as how NDP former PC MLAs will vote..Smith introduced a similar piece of legislation in 2016 also known as the “Election Recall Act.” The bill was defeated by a combination of NDP and PC MLAs in the house at the time.
