More than 652,000 Albertans have been approved to vote by special ballot in the Oct. 19 provincial referendum, with Elections Alberta warning voters to mail completed packages back by Oct. 9.Elections Alberta said Wednesday it had finished processing just over 658,000 special ballot applications as of Sept. 29.More than 652,000 were approved and sent to electors, while more than 5,700 were rejected for reasons including voter ineligibility, duplicate applications and invalid addresses or other information.More than 131,000 completed special ballot packages have already been returned and validated, with those electors marked as having voted.The final batch of ballots has been sent for production and mailing. International ballot packages have been sent by courier.Elections Alberta said voters are responsible for ensuring their completed ballots arrive on time.Canada Post recommends completed packages be mailed by Oct. 9 to ensure they reach Elections Alberta before the deadline of 5 p.m. on Oct. 16.Voters can track their ballot through a link provided when their application was confirmed. The system shows when a returned package has been received and when the voter register has been updated.Special ballots must include copies of accepted identification and the required declaration. Elections Alberta warned voters not to send original identification documents.Ballots missing identification or declarations cannot be accepted, although Elections Alberta said officials will attempt to contact affected voters to obtain the missing documents.If the problem cannot be corrected, the special ballot will be rejected and the elector can instead vote in person during advance voting or on referendum day..Elections Alberta said its voter register is updated in real time once a special ballot is received, preventing an elector from voting more than once.The agency attributed the unusually high number of special ballot applications partly to legislative changes eliminating the requirement for voters to provide a reason for requesting one.The elimination of the previous “vote anywhere” option and the number of referendum questions have also contributed to demand, Elections Alberta said, as some voters want more time to consider the questions before casting their ballots.Where to Vote cards began being mailed Sept. 21, with distribution expected to be completed by early October.Advance voting will run from Oct. 13 to 17, followed by referendum day on Oct. 19.Online voter registration remains available until Oct. 9. Eligible voters can also register through a returning office or when they arrive to vote.Elections Alberta is also continuing to recruit thousands of workers ahead of the referendum.Almost 62,000 applications have been submitted and 37,500 election officers hired, but officials said several electoral divisions still need workers, particularly in rural and sparsely populated areas.Those areas include Peace River, Cardston-Siksika, Lesser Slave Lake, Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche, Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, Taber-Warner, Grande Prairie-Wapiti, West Yellowhead and Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul.Election officers must sign an oath, pass a criminal record check and comply with Elections Alberta's political activities policy. Workers who fail to meet those requirements can be dismissed.Albertans aged 16 and older can apply for election jobs, which include paid training.Elections Alberta is also allowing sports teams, community organizations and other groups to work together during the referendum and use their earnings to raise money for their organizations.Recruitment will continue until the referendum.
