Recall FAQs
Application Process
An applicant must submit the following to Elections Alberta:
- A completed Application for Recall Petition and Notice of Recall Petition ,
- An Appointment of Chief Financial Officer,
- Copies of authorized identification demonstrating the elector’s identity and residential address in the electoral division, and
- The $500 application fee, paid by cash, a certified cheque and/or a bank or postal money order made payable to “Government of Alberta”.
The completed application form, Notice of Recall Petition, Appointment of Chief Financial Officer form, and copy of your identification can be submitted electronically. Payment of the application fee may be completed in person at the Elections Alberta head office in Edmonton or by mail. All components of the application must be received prior to it being considered for approval.
The application period is currently open in most electoral divisions as applications can only be submitted after 12 months following the election of a member in a provincial general election or by-election. Electoral divisions where MLAs were elected in by-elections since the 2023 Provincial General Election are not eligible until 12 months after those Election Days.
Applications cannot be submitted later than 12 months prior to the next fixed general election date, which is October 18, 2027.
There is no set criteria. The only requirement is that the applicant provide a statement of 100 words or less on why, in the opinion of the applicant, the member should be recalled.
No. Only an individual who is an eligible elector and has resided in the member’s electoral division for at least 3 months can apply to have a petition issued.
Yes, the $500 application fee will be returned to the recall applicant following the filing of the required financial disclosure reports within the required timeline.
No. Only one recall application for a member can be issued during the member’s term unless the recall petition process is terminated due to the death, incapacitation, or withdrawal of the applicant.
Authorized participants include the applicant and the MLA who is the subject of the petition.
No. If a recall authorized participant is unable to continue with the recall campaign at any point before the petition sheets are returned, the authorized participant must advise Elections Alberta. All materials provided by Elections Alberta must be returned, at which time the recall canvassing period will end.
No. The Recall Act does not allow authorized participants to have access to the List of Electors.
Authorized participants are not required to validate recall signatories to the List of Electors.
Canvassing
Eligible electors interested in becoming a canvasser must contact the applicant and provide them a completed Application to Canvass for a Recall Petition form. The petition applicant must submit the completed and valid Application to Canvass for a Recall Petition to Elections Alberta to register each canvasser for the petition. The petition applicant will receive a list of the approved and registered canvassers. Incomplete and illegible canvasser applications cannot be processed and will be returned to the applicant to be corrected. The applicant is responsible for having these revised and completed correctly and resubmitting them to Elections Alberta. For more information on the responsibilities for regarding canvasser applications, please see the Recall Process webpage.
Canvassers must be electors who have lived in the electoral division for at least 3 months prior to canvassing. By law, canvassers must be volunteers and cannot be compensated for their time.
Applications may be submitted by the petition applicant any time after an application for a recall petition has been received by Elections Alberta until the end of the petition period. If applications are received before the petition is issued, they will be processed after the petition is approved. Note: if the recall petition is not approved, the canvasser applications associated with that petition will also be rejected.
No, as long as you are an eligible elector and have resided in the electoral division for at least 3 months prior to canvassing, you are eligible for registration as a canvasser.
Yes. The petition applicant must complete a canvasser application form to collect signatures.
Elections Alberta will issue ID to all registered canvassers who must carry it with them and produce it upon request while canvassing. For more information, please see Recall Process.
All canvassers must comply with the Canvasser’s Code of Conduct and any guidelines for canvassing issued to the petition applicant by the Chief Electoral Officer. The petition applicant is responsible for ensuring canvassers understand and follow the rules around canvassing. For more information about these, please see the Recall Process webpage.
No. Unlike candidates in elections who have legislated access for campaigning purposes, canvassers are not guaranteed access to rental properties or multi-unit dwellings. Contact the landlord or property manager to request access.
Yes, but only with permission from the property manager, business owner, or municipality. There are no provisions under the Recall Act requiring landlords, businesses, or recreation centres to provide access to canvassers.
Yes, if you are a registered canvasser.
No. Paying an employee to canvass while performing their regular job would be considered an inducement, as is compensation in the form of extra vacation or leave for canvassing. Inducements are not permitted under the legislation.
No. By law, canvassers must be volunteers. Canvassing while performing a regular job or work duties would be considered receiving payment for canvassing or collecting an inducement for canvassing, which is not permitted under the legislation.
No. Petition sheets must not be left unattended. Canvassers must personally witness all electors signing their petition sheets, as they will be required to sign each signature sheet and swear an affidavit.
Complaints relating to the canvassers conduct can be reported to Elections Alberta. Where a complaint is found to be valid, the petition applicant will be notified and advised to correct their canvasser’s conduct. Canvassers must follow the legislation, regulations, and Code of Conduct for Canvassing.
Signing a Petition
To be eligible to sign a petition, an individual must be an eligible elector who has resided in the electoral division for at least 3 months prior to signing the petition.
Yes. You may sign the petition if you are an eligible elector who has lived in the electoral division for at least 3 months prior to signing the petition.
You can enter your address in Elections Alberta’s Who’s My MLA? tool to determine which electoral division you live in.
Yes. You may sign the petition if you are an eligible elector who has lived in the electoral division for at least 3 months prior to signing the petition.
No. You must currently live in the electoral division to sign the petition.
Electors must be “ordinarily resident” in the electoral division. ”Ordinary residence” is the place where a person usually lives and sleeps, and where the person intends to return when they are away from it. You may only have one ordinary residence. If a person leaves an electoral division with the intention of living elsewhere, their new residence there becomes their ordinary residence.
For more information, see Who Can Vote.
If a student leaves their ordinary residence to study at an educational institution elsewhere, they may consider either the place where they resided immediately before starting their studies or the place where they are currently residing in Alberta as their ordinary residence. You may only have one ordinary residence. If your ordinary residence is in the electoral division with the recall petition and you meet all other eligibility criteria, you may sign the petition.
For more information, see Who Can Vote.
If a student leaves their ordinary residence to study at an educational institution elsewhere, they may maintain their ordinary residence in the place where they lived before if they intend to return to it during or after completing their studies. In this case, you may sign the petition if you meet the other eligibility criteria. If you do not intend to return, you are no longer ordinarily resident in that electoral division, and cannot sign the petition.
For more information, see Who Can Vote
Recall petitions can only be signed after the petition has been issued by Elections Alberta. For information about where and when to sign, contact the petition applicant using the contact information listed on Current Recall Petitions. The petition applicant is responsible for all communication with Albertans about their recall petition. For more information, please see Recall Process.
No. All signatures must be original and signed in ink using the petition signature sheets issued to the petition applicant by Elections Alberta. No digital, photocopied, or online signatures will be accepted.
No. You will need to sign another canvasser’s petition sheet so your signature can be witnessed as required.
No. You may only sign a petition once. It is an offence under the Recall Act to sign a recall petition more than once.
No. Everyone must sign for themselves and original signatures are required. It is an offence under the Recall Act to affix a false or forged signature on the petition.
An elector signing the petition must:
- print their surname and given names legibly;
- print the physical residential address where they ordinarily reside at the time of signing;
- provide their telephone number and/or email address;
- confirm in writing they are an eligible elector and have resided in the electoral division for at least the last 3 months; and
- date it on the date they signed the petition.
Postal addresses, such as PO box numbers, are not acceptable. Signatures without a residential address are not valid and will not be counted.
You must provide your complete physical residential address. This is the address that could be used on a map to determine if you live in the electoral division. Postal addresses, such as PO box numbers, are not valid as residential addresses for electoral purposes.
You must provide either a telephone number or email address on the petition as you may be contacted by Elections Alberta to confirm you signed the petition during the verification process or by the petition applicant to confirm your information is correct.
To correct a mistake, neatly put a line through the mistake and make the correction. If information becomes unreadable after making the correction, put a line through the petition row, and start again, re-entering your information on a new row.
You can contact the petition applicant and request to have your name and signature removed. It is, however, up to their discretion, as it is not required by the legislation.
Once the petition has been submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Alberta cannot remove a name from the petition.
The Recall Act requires petition signature sheets be made available for public inspection for a period of one year from the time the petition is submitted to Elections Alberta. Electors’ residential address and contact information (phone or email) will be obscured or redacted to protect privacy.
Individuals requesting to view copies of recall petition sheets are required to sign a declaration stating the information viewed will not be used except as permitted under the Recall Act.
Under section 55(3) of the Recall Act, it is an offense for a person to collect, use, or disclose personal information, except as permitted under the legislation. Penalties for breaches of this section are up to $10,000 for individuals and up to $100,000 for corporations, organizations, or associations.
Verification
The petition applicant must submit all petition signature sheets and canvasser affidavits to Elections Alberta by 4:30pm on or before the 90th day of canvassing. Photocopies or other electronic duplicates of petition signature sheets are not valid and will not be counted.
The submission must be organized, packaged, and labelled as directed by Elections Alberta and made to Elections Alberta’s head office in Edmonton. The applicant is responsible for any shipping and transportation charges and ensuring the complete materials shipment arrives on time.
No additional signature sheets will be accepted after the petition has been submitted.
Yes. The verification period begins as soon as a petition is submitted. No additional signature sheets will be accepted after the petition has been submitted. If you submit the petition before the end of the 90-day canvassing period, that ends the canvassing period, and all dates in the process will be recalculated from the submission date.
Elections Alberta will verify the petition within 21 days of the date the petition was submitted using the process described on the Recall Process webpage.
Electors may only sign a recall petition once. Only an individual’s first signature on a petition will count. Depending on the circumstances, Elections Alberta may investigate instances of multiple signing.
No, authorized participants may not participate in the verification. There is no provision in the Recall Act for observers or scrutineers.
If the petition verification determines the petition has enough valid signatures and financing requirements have been met, it will be successful. Results, whether the petition is successful or not, will be published on Elections Alberta’s website.
The Lieutenant Governor in Council will order a recall vote to be conducted within 4 months of this publication date.
A recall vote is successful if more than 50% of the electors who voted are in favour of the recall. If successful, the MLA is recalled and ceases to be an MLA, and a by-election is held in the electoral division.