Common Questions

What does the Chief Electoral Officer do?

The Chief Electoral Officer is a non-partisan Officer of the Legislative Assembly, responsible for the administration of the Election Act and the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act. The Chief Electoral Officer ensures that elections are conducted fairly and that political entities and voters abide by the rules set out in legislation.

Under the authority of the Election Act, the Chief Electoral Officer and the staff at Elections Alberta provide guidance and supervision for the conduct of all provincial enumerations, general elections, by-elections and plebiscites.

Under the jurisdiction of the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, the Chief Electoral Officer and the staff at Elections Alberta are responsible for the collection, examination and public disclosure of registration and financial documents of provincial political parties, constituency associations and candidates.

Why do we have Provincial Elections?

Provincial general elections are held so voters in the province can decide who will represent them in the Legislative Assembly. Their representative (Member of the Legislative Assembly) will be involved in decision-making that will affect present and future residents of our province.

What is an MLA?

• One Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is elected in each electoral division to sit in the Legislative Assembly and actively represent the people in the area.
• Most MLAs represent political parties, and the party with the most MLAs elected forms the government.
• The group of MLAs makes policy decisions by passing laws that will affect present and future residents of the province.

When will the next election be held?

Section 3(1) of the Legislative Assembly Act directs that "No Legislative Assembly shall continue for longer than 5 years from the date fixed for the return of the writs at a general election of its Members."

The Provincial General Election was held on March 3, 2008. Official results were announced and writs were returned on March 13, 2008. Therefore, the twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly shall not continue past March 13, 2013. A Provincial General Election would have to be called on or before Thursday, March 14, 2013. Polling Day would be twenty-eight days after the date the election is called

Who is my MLA?

To find out who your MLA is, click on "Who's My MLA?" on our home page.

What is a political party?

• A political party is an organized group of people with common values and goals that tries to get its candidates elected to office. Political parties must register with the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer before they are considered official parties within Alberta.

How do I form a political party in Alberta?

If you wish to register a political party, you must first contact the Chief Electoral Officer, in writing, and request that the party name you have selected is held while you meet the requirements identified in the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act. The Chief Electoral Officer will contact you, in writing, to confirm approval of the name as long as it is appropriate and not easily confused with an existing party or another party name that is being held pending registration. Along with the approval you will receive an information package and specific instructions to assist you in the registration process.

Part of the registration process consists of the collection of names of electors on a petition supporting your intent to register the new party. You must collect signatures from 7,050 electors, which represents 0.3% of the number of electors eligible to vote at the last general election, conducted on March 3, 2008. This requirement is based on the post-Polling Day Lists of Electors, released July 2008 in accordance with Section 19 of the Election Act, which contained 2,350,045 eligible electors.

You may also register a political party by endorsing candidates in at least half of the electoral divisions in the province at an upcoming general election.

Further information regarding the rights and responsibilities of registered political parties is contained in the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act , which is available from the Queen's Printer Bookstore. The Act will be provided to you by the Chief Electoral Officer if you submit a written request to register a political party.

How can I have my name added to the List of Electors?

You can register to vote using our secure on-line registration system called Voterlink. You can also contact Elections Alberta in person or by phone (780) 427-7191, e-mail info@elections.ab.ca or facsimile (780) 422-2900. Your information will be added to the Register of Electors to ensure that it will appear on subsequent Lists of Electors.

How do I know my information will be kept confidential?

Elections Alberta has a strong commitment to protecting electors' privacy. Information from the Register of Electors may only be used for electoral purposes and distribution of List of Electors is restricted, by law, to election officials, political parties and candidates. Any misuse of this information may result in fines up to $100,000, or imprisonment for up to one year, or both. Electronic safeguards will be used to trace any person who misuses such information.

Who is eligible to vote in a provincial election?

In order to be eligible to vote in an Alberta provincial election, a person must reside in the polling subdivision in which they seek to vote, and must:

be a Canadian citizen,
be at least eighteen years of age,
be ordinarily resident in Alberta for six months prior to Polling Day,
not be excluded under section 45 of the Election Act, which states:

Persons prohibited from voting under section 178 (4) (e) or 181 (1) are not eligible to vote at an election.

Can I vote if my name is not on the List of Electors?

• Yes, but you must provide identification and complete a declaration. A list of authorized identifications appears below.

What type of identification do I need to vote?

• An elector whose name is on the List of Electors is not required to produce identification prior to voting.

• In accordance with section 95(1)(a) of the Election Act, an elector whose name is not on the List of Electors may vote after producing government issued identification containing the elector’s photograph, current address and name. This includes an Operator’s (Driver’s) Licence or an Alberta Identification Card.

• In addition, the Chief Electoral Officer has authorized the use of the following types of identification, in accordance with section 95(1)(a)(ii) of the Election Act. An elector whose name is not on the List of Electors, and who is unable to produce government issued identification, must produce two pieces of identification from the following list prior to voting. Both pieces of identification must establish the elector’s name. One piece must establish the elector’s current address.

Examples of Identification with Elector’s Name:

• Alberta Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) card

• Alberta Forestry Identification card

• Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) card

• Alberta Health Services Identification Band (patient wrist identification band)

• Alberta Natural Resources (conservation) ID card

• Alberta Service Dog Team ID card

• Alberta Wildlife (WIN) ID card

• Baptismal Certificate

• Birth Certificate

• Canadian Air Transportation Security Agency (CATSA) ID card

• Canadian Blood Services card

• Canadian Border Services Agency Canadian Passenger Accelerated Service System (CANPASS) card

• Canadian Border Services Agency Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card

• Canadian Border Services Agency Nexus card

• Canadian Forces Civilian ID card

• Canadian Forces Health card

• Canadian Forces Identity card

• Canadian Passport

• Citizenship card

• Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) ID card

• Confirmation Certificate

• Credit/Debit card

• Employee/Staff card

• Firearm Possession and Acquisition Licence or Possession Only Licence

• Fishing, Trapping or Hunting Licence

• Hospital/Medical card

• Library card

• Marriage Certificate

• Membership card: E.g. Lions, Shriners, Rotary, fitness/health club, political party or retail outlet, i.e. Costco, Blockbuster.

• Old Age Security card

• Outdoors or Wildlife card/licence

• Pleasure Craft Operator (PCOC) card - Government of Canada

• Public Transportation card

• Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) card

• Social Insurance Number card

• Student ID card

• Veteran’s Affairs Canada Health card

Examples of Identification with Elector’s Name and Address:

• Attestation of Residence issued by the responsible authority of First Nations band or reserve

• Bank/credit card statement or personal cheque

• Correspondence issued by a school, college or university

• Government cheque or cheque stub

• Income/property tax assessment notice

• Insurance policy or coverage card

• Letter from a public curator, public guardian or public trustee

• One of the following, issued by the responsible authority of a shelter or soup kitchen: E.g. Attestation of residence, letter of stay, admission form or statement of benefits.

• Pension Plan statement of benefits, contributions or participation

• Prescription bottle insert

• Residential lease or mortgage statement

• Statement of government benefits: E.g. Employment insurance, old-age security, social assistance, disability support, or child tax benefit.

• Utility bill: E.g. Telephone, public utilities commission, television, hydro, gas or water.

• Vehicle ownership or Insurance certificate

Where do I vote?

• Each electoral division is divided into polling subdivisions, which are defined geographic areas. Eligible voters residing within each area vote at the polling station designated for their area.
• During the election period, you can find your polling station at the Elections Alberta homepage and in local newspapers. In addition, notices are delivered to all residences in the province.

Do I get time off from work to vote?

There are provisions in the Election Act to ensure that there is sufficient time for eligible electors to vote on Polling Day.

These provisions are contained in section 132, which states:

"(1) An employee who is an elector qualified to vote shall, while the polls are open on Polling Day at an election or plebiscite, be allowed 3 consecutive hours for the purpose of casting the employee's vote.

(2) If the employee's hours of employment do not allow for the 3 consecutive hours' absence, the employee's employer shall allow the employee additional time for voting to provide the 3 consecutive hours, but the additional time for voting shall be granted at the convenience of the employer.

(3) No employer may make any deduction from the pay of an employee or impose on or exact from the employee any penalty by reason of the employee's absence from employment during the 3 consecutive hours referred to in subsection (1) or additional time granted under subsection (2).

Your regular work schedule may already allow for three consecutive hours during the time that the polls are open (9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.). If your work day starts at noon, or ends by 5:00 p.m., you have the three hours required by legislation and are not entitled to additional time off.

If I cannot go to the polls on Polling Day, how can I vote?

There are a couple of options available to assist you in voting if you are unable to vote on Polling Day.

The first option is to vote at the Advance Poll in your own electoral division. Advance Polls are held from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday prior to Polling Day. Addresses of Advance Poll locations are published in local newspapers and can also be obtained from Returning Officers or Elections Alberta's website at http://www.elections.ab.ca/.

The second option is to vote by Special Ballot, following the procedure outlined above.

Please be certain to consider these options well in advance of Polling Day - electors who have not made arrangements in time have been very disappointed when, for example, sufficient time is not left to receive and return a Special Ballot. The Returning Officer will do his or her best to accommodate your particular situation, but the request must be made by the elector in time to meet the administrative requirements of the electoral process.

If I am working or studying away from home, where do I go to vote?

According to section 43 of the Election Act, an elector must vote in the polling subdivision of the electoral division in which the person is ordinarily resident on Polling Day.

An elector is considered to have only one place of ordinary residence, and it is defined as "the place where the person lives and sleeps and to which, when the person is absent from it, the person intends to return". Therefore, if you temporarily live or work away from your place of ordinary residence, you must still vote in the electoral division in which you ordinarily reside.

For example, this would apply to:

A student from Red Deer attending university in Victoria and living in residence there, who ordinarily lives "at home" (spends holidays with the family and intends to return to Red Deer after the program of study is completed). The student would be eligible to vote in Red Deer.
A construction worker from Edmonton working in Fort McMurray and living in temporary accommodations (a motel or apartment) who ordinarily resides with his family in Edmonton. The worker would be eligible to vote in Edmonton.
A retired person from Pincher Creek traveling in another country who has been away for several months but intends to return after the extended holiday. The vacationer would be eligible to vote in Pincher Creek.

In all cases, the electors would have to meet the regular eligibility criteria.

If you are in a similar situation, there are two options available to you if you expect to be away from your electoral division on Polling Day.

The second option is to vote by Special Ballot. You must request a Special Ballot from the Returning Officer in your electoral division. The request - which must come from the elector - can be made as soon as the Writ of Election is issued. Special Ballot requests are accepted in person, by mail, by facsimile, by e-mail or by telephone. It is important to note that, while requests for Special Ballots may be sent via facsimile or e-mail, the Special Ballots themselves may not. A Special Ballot sent via facsimile or e-mail would be easily identifiable, and the basic principle of the secret ballot would be lost. For this same reason, you may not obtain a Special Ballot from anyone other than the Returning Officer in your own electoral division.

Your Special Ballot must be properly completed and received, with identification, by the Returning Officer prior to the close of polls at 8:00 p.m. on Polling Day to be counted. Any Special Ballots received after the close of polls are counted as rejected ballots.

What if I am in the hospital on Election Day?

• On Election Day, mobile polls go around to hospitals, many supportive living facilities and seniors’ lodges so the residents are able to register and cast their ballots. You can check with your facility to see if a mobile poll is expected.

How do I vote if I am visually impaired?

• Templates are available at all polling stations so that the visually impaired are able to mark their ballots independently.
• Alternatively, a friend or election officer may offer assistance.

How do I vote if I’m not fluent in English?

• Election officers are mainly selected from the local area and often speak the language(s) commonly used in that neighborhood.
• Alternatively, directions for marking the ballot are available in 13 languages for voters who are most comfortable with a language other than English.
• You are also able to bring a friend along to translate for you.

How do I know my vote will be kept secret?

• The people present at the polls are limited to those with a role to play in the election process (election officers, scrutineers, voters, etc.), and all people allowed to stay in the polling place are required to take an Oath of Secrecy.
• All ballots are identical and are returned to the election officer folded so your vote is not visible.
• The ballot box at each poll is kept sealed until the end of Election Day when it is opened in a secure area and ballots are counted by the election officers.

How do I know the voting process is secure?

• The List of Electors is developed to restrict voting to those who are entitled, as well as to restrict each voter to only one vote.
• After voting, the voter’s name is crossed off the list. The names of those who vote at Advance Polls or using a Special Ballot are crossed off the list in their area so they cannot also vote on Election Day.
• Voters who are not on the list must bring identification and sign a declaration when they visit the polls before they are permitted to vote.
• Local election officers and scrutineers may challenge anyone they believe is not entitled to vote, even if they are on the list.
• Elections Alberta is committed to investigating concerns about the election process.