Recall Petitions Results — One Unsuccessful, Two Deemed Invalid

March 02, 2026

EDMONTON – Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer, Gordon McClure, has received one recall petition from an applicant whose signature period ended, as required by s.7 of the Recall Act. Two petitions were received after the canvassing period expiry date, and were deemed invalid and ineligible to be authorized, as required by s.7(2) of the Act.

Elections Alberta has completed petition verification for the following recall petition. After conducting the first stage of the verification process for each of the petitions – the preliminary count – it was confirmed there were insufficient signatures to meet the required threshold, and the verification count ended. (See background information below for more information about the recall petition verification process).

Member and Electoral Division Total number of votes cast in electoral division in the most recent election* Total number of signatures required for a successful petition** Total number of preliminary signatures counted
(Recall Act s.8(2))
Jason Stephan
ED79 – Red Deer-South
24,180 14,508 4,255
Unsuccessful

*2023 Provincial General Election
**60% of votes cast in the electoral division in most recent election

The following recall petitions were not received from applicants by the end of the 90-day canvassing period and are ineligible to be authorized. Signature sheets submitted late are not counted. These recall petitions are deemed invalid.

  • ED49 – Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, Glenn Van Dijken
  • ED71 – Lethbridge-East, Nathan Neudorf

As required by s.9 of the Act, the applicants, the MLAs, the leader of the United Conservative Party, and the Speaker of the Legislation Assembly have received written notice reporting the results.

Next steps
Within two days of the publication of the recall petition results, the applicants must:

  • Return all copies of the recall petition and all canvasser identification documents to Elections Alberta;
  • Destroy all copies of signature sheets, including blank copies, made by the applicant, their team, or registered canvassers, and
  • Submit a signed affidavit to Elections Alberta confirming the petition and all signature sheets have been returned and all copies destroyed as directed.

Within 30 days, after the petition submission date or within 30 days after the petition canvassing period expires, whichever is earlier:

  • Each authorized participant’s chief financial officer must submit a recall petition expense limit report consisting of a financial statement, a contribution report, an expense report, and supporting information and documents. The report is required even if the petition has been withdrawn or terminated.
  • Failure to meet a filing deadline will result in an automatic late filing fee of $500.

See the financial reports due date for each petition at https://www.elections.ab.ca/recall-initiative/recall/current-recall-petitions.

Recall Petition Background Information:
Once a recall petition is returned by the applicant on or before the end of the canvassing period, Elections Alberta must complete petition verification within 21 days. The recall petition verification process includes:

  • Preliminary signature count on petition signature sheets submitted;
  • Confirmation that only the petition signature sheets as provided to the applicant were used in the collection of signatures;
  • Confirmation that only original signatures have been collected;
  • A review of each signature to ensure the required information was provided (full name, physical address, contact information, date, signature);
  • Confirmation that each signature on the petition was witnessed by a registered canvasser;
  • A random sample to confirm the signatories’ addresses are in the electoral district; and,
  • Contacting a random sample of signatories to confirm they signed the petition.

Please note: If it becomes clear during any part of the verification the count will not meet the 60% threshold, no further verification is done, the process ends, and results are reported.

If the petition is successful, the Lieutenant Governor in Council will order a recall vote to be conducted within four months of the date on which the successful petition results are published.

For more information about any of these recall petitions, please see:
https://www.elections.ab.ca/resources/media/news-releases/five-new-recall-petitions-issued/

More information on the recall petition process, including what happens next if a petition is successful, the status of recall petitions, proponent financing rules, and answers to frequently asked questions may be found on Election Alberta’s website.

 

Elections Alberta is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections, and referendums.

 

For media inquiries, please contact:
Robyn Bell
Media Relations
Phone: 403-589-7233
Email: [email protected]

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