SENT ON BEHALF OF LYNDSEY HENDERSON, CUPE POLITICAL ACTION COORDINATOR:
Hello Everyone,
With the deadline coming up (September 25th!) for requesting a special ballot to vote in the upcoming October Referendum, I wanted to send the below reminder and information again to make voting as easy as possible for all members!
We know that it is absolutely critical for each and every CUPE member to vote in the upcoming referendum on October 19th, but we also know that there could be huge lines and large delays on voting day. The provincial government has outlawed the use of voting tabulators that were commonly used in municipal elections previously, which means the referendum will have to be done with 10 individual paper ballots for each voter, then manually counted after voting concludes. This means a long processing time on referendum day and many folks that may get frustrated and give up their spot in line. This is unnecessary and frustrating, and it also translates to a huge cost that Albertans will have to pay.
The good news is you can skip the line!
Elections Alberta can provide you with a special ballot that will be mailed to your home, allowing you to fill it out and mail it back directly to Elections Alberta. This lets you vote from the comfort of your home and means you won’t get stuck in a long line on the advanced polls from October 13th – 17th or on referendum day October 19th.
Applications for special ballots are now open, and you can apply by completing the form HERE. Applications are open until September 25th and MUST BE RECEIVED BACK TO ELECTIONS ALBERTA BY MAIL BY 5:00 PM ON OCTOBER 16TH. Please ensure that if you apply for and receive a special ballot, you mail it back to Elections Alberta with lots of time to spare to ensure your vote is counted.
The information you will need to provide to apply for a special ballot includes:
- Your first and last (legal) name
- Your date of birth
- Your address (also your mailing address if it differs from your primary residence)
- Your preferred method of contact (either by phone or email)
- Your “special circumstance” for requesting a special ballot – PLEASE NOTE *** You do not need to provide a reason; the four options given on the application are:
- N/A
- I am serving in the Canadian Forces
- I am temporarily residing outside of Canada
- I reside in an area designated by the Chief Electoral Office as a remote area
You can just choose N/A and that is perfectly acceptable.
You will also need to certify that you are a Canadian Citizen and therefore eligible to vote and that all the information you have provided on the form is accurate and true.
The application process shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes, and your ballots will be mailed to you with detailed instructions on how to fill them out and return them to Elections Alberta.
Please take the time to request your ballots so that you can ensure your vote is counted and you’re not stuck in long lines and delays during the advance polls or voting day. All Albertans are eligible to apply for these special ballots, and it would be great to spread the word to your coworkers, friends, family and communities.
If you want to find out more about the special ballots, please feel free to read directly from the source with Elections Alberta.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to CUPE Political Action Coordinator, Lyndsey Henderson, at lhenderson@cupe.ca