Judge dismisses NDP challenge of Alberta voter list restrictions
The ruling clears the way for the government's restricted voter list rules to stand ahead of the Oct. 19 separation referendum.
Why it matters
The decision keeps the restricted voter list rules in place as Albertans prepare to vote in the Oct. 19 separation referendum.
Court of King's Bench Justice John Gill has dismissed a legal challenge from the Opposition NDP over the Alberta government's decision to restrict voter list information given to political parties. The judge found the government was within its rights to make the change and said the new rules would not meaningfully undermine the integrity of the upcoming separation referendum.
Under the changes, made last month, Elections Alberta can now give political parties only the number of registered voters in each voting area and municipality, rather than full voter lists containing names, addresses and phone numbers. The NDP had argued the restrictions defeated the purpose of voter lists and could hamper referendum scrutineers' ability to properly observe ballot counting on Oct. 19.
Premier Danielle Smith criticized the NDP for bringing the challenge, saying the protection of voter information should be a non-partisan issue following a major privacy breach involving a separatist group earlier this year.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.