Alberta Voters React to Confusing Self‑Declaration on Mail‑In Ballots

Emma Wilkins opened her special‑ballot envelope on a Wednesday evening, expecting the usual instructions for the upcoming October referendum. Instead, the very first page asked her to sign a statement saying she was “unable to vote at an advance voting place or a polling place on Election Day.” Below it, a bold warning warned of fines up to $50,000 or even two years in prison for a false declaration.

“I was really taken aback,” Wilkins, an Edmonton resident, told CBC. “I didn’t know what to do next, and it left me feeling disheartened.” Her reaction mirrors that of several other Albertans who received the same package and wondered whether the language was a mistake or something they needed to worry about.

In fact, the self‑declaration has nothing to do with the October 19 referendum. Elections Alberta explains that the clause is leftover “carry‑over” text from an older version of the Election Act, when voters had to give a reason for requesting a special ballot. The agency says voters can simply cross out the line, complete the rest of the form, and send the ballot back.

Despite the clarification, the presence of a potential $50,000 fine on a front‑page form feels heavy‑handed to many. Lynn Zwicky, another Edmonton voter, worries that the warning could deter people from using mail‑in voting altogether. “Will they be scared off? And if they’re scared off, then they won’t vote,” she said.

Both Wilkins and Zwicky applied for mail‑in ballots in July, hoping to avoid the long lines expected at polling stations. Their concerns highlight a broader tension: the referendum itself is already complex, featuring ten separate questions on immigration, constitutional matters and even whether Alberta should stay in Canada or begin a separation process.

As of early September, Elections Alberta has logged about 225,000 mail‑in ballot requests—nearly four times the number from the 2023 provincial election. The deadline to apply has been moved up to Sept. 25, earlier than the original Oct. 9 cut‑off, in an effort to give officials more time to sort out the paperwork.

Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure reassured the public that ballots can be submitted within the normal time frame, and that the confusing declaration will not affect the validity of a vote if the line is crossed out. Still, for voters like Wilkins, the extra step feels like an unnecessary hurdle, adding stress to an already burdensome process.

“It’s another reinforcement that this is an extremely burdensome process that creates so much stress,” Wilkins said. “At the end of the day, it’s voters who feel the brunt of it and may not be able to vote, even when they want to.”