Alberta NDP challenges new rules restricting voter list data before Oct. 19 vote
The party wants a court to strike down changes that limit voter list details shared with political parties ahead of the province's referendum.
Why it matters
The dispute could affect how ballot counting is scrutinized in Alberta's upcoming Oct. 19 referendum.
Alberta's Opposition NDP filed a court application Thursday in Edmonton challenging new government rules that restrict how much voter information Elections Alberta can share with political parties. The NDP argues the policy undermines the purpose of the voter list as set out in provincial law and should be struck down.
Under the rules published last week, parties can now only receive voter counts by voting area and municipality, rather than the first and last names, addresses, phone numbers and unique voter identification numbers previously provided. Justice Minister Mickey Amery's office has said the change is temporary and intended to protect Albertans' private information following a major privacy breach earlier this year involving a separatist group.
NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the restrictions could open the door to voter fraud in the province's Oct. 19 referendum, since scrutineers overseeing the ballot count would lack the information needed to confirm people aren't voting more than once. Amery's office did not immediately respond to questions about the court challenge.
Elections Alberta, which manages the official voter list, said it will continue using the detailed list internally to track voters during the referendum, even though political parties, candidates, legislators and constituency associations will now receive a more limited version.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.