QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VOTING LIST

We need to trust the integrity of the Alberta Voting List. I have some questions.

Elections Alberta is mailing out information to us to make sure we are on the voting list for the May 29 election.  If you will be 18 on Election Day, a Canadian citizen and an Alberta resident, you can vote.  If things have changed in your life, like you’ve moved or changed your name, call 

1 877-422-8683 and update Elections Albertan records.

This post is not a public service announcement but I am sure the above information is helpful.  Connect with them and be sure you are accurately on the Voting List. That is just being a responsible and effectively engaged citizen. So please do it.

HOW DO YOU GET SOMEONE OFF THE VOTING LIST?

Answering that question is why am I writing this post. I My recent interaction with Elections Alberta about the Voting List raises some concerns. I am the Executor of an estate and received one of the Election Alberta Voting List mailers that was addressed to a person, who is deceased, showing she was still on the Voting List.  Nothing unusual about that, you would think, and you would be right. But here’s where it got interesting.

I called the 877 number to get her name removed.  I was put on hold for a very short time, and then got to speak to a real person.  I explained who I was relative to the deceased and why I was calling, to have her name removed from the Voting List.  I was asked her name and address and birth date. Interestingly, I was told her middle name by Elections Alberta and asked to confirm it.  Then I was told she was removed from the Voting List.

I left the call more than a little uncomfortable given all the shenanigans we read about in voter suppression, identity theft and other fraud associated with voting in the USA these days.  Most of this democracy destroying deceitfulness comes from the United States, but we are not immune, especially in Alberta.

VOTING IRREGULARITIES ARE NOT FOREIGN TO ALBERTA

To refresh your memory, there is an ongoing criminal fraud investigation by the RCMP into allegations of identity theft and voting fraud in the 2017 UCP leadership selection.  While that was a partisan leadership selection process, the integrity of the selection process is still important to We the Citizens, because the winner is eligible to become our Premier, if their party forms government.

Then there are the numerous Elections Alberta investigations and convictions of campaign financing “irregularities” in the 2019 election, mostly involving UCP operatives. These we largely about non-compliance with the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act. There were a lot of problems with the UCP side of the election.

MEANWHILE, BACK TO MY REASONS FOR THIS POST

Back to my reasons for writing, which is about how easy, actually too easy, it is to change the Alberta Voting List.  Here are my major issues related to my call into Elections Alberta:

1. I was never asked for proof of the death of the person I was asking to be removed from the Voting List.

2. I was never asked for proof of my identity and my legal relationship to the deceased that would give me authority to remove someone from the list.

3. I was never offered proof and confirmation that she was actually removed.

So here are my issues.  What is stopping anyone from phoning up and making allegations of any person's death, or claiming that they have moved, or changed their name? If all it takes is the equivalent of my representation, over the phone, of who I was, what I was calling about and what I wanted changed, and the changes would be made, simply on my say so, is the integrity of the Voting List questionable?

What’s to stop partisan operatives calling up and making false representations to Elections Alberta to remove citizens off the Voting List they know is not supporting their candidate, party or leader? That is inviting Voter Suppression 101, at least that is how it seems to me.

If that is all that’s required to remove someone, what to stop a fraudster from doing it by making misleading or fraudulent statements to Elections Alberta? Could voter addresses or even names be changed?  What to stop fraudsters from then using false ID, to get someone else’s voting card and talking over their vote? This is not far fetched when you can easily Photoshop Health Cards or manufacture other accepted identification like church issued baptism certificates.

Let’s remember the identity theft scheme the UCP fraud operatives allegedly used. In the 2017 party leadership process. They signed up party members from elders in ethnic communities who may have had language issues and other comprehension challenges. What the fraudsters did was get them to sign the party membership form, but then they changed the email address used to receive the PIN number needed to vote. That PIN didn’t go to the new member but to the fraudster.  They were then able to cast the new member’s vote, on line, in place of the new member.  Clean, simple and illegal.

SO CAN THIS BE FIXED?

Here are my suggested solutions, and they are all about prevention of fraud not laying charges and prosecuting after the fact when the damage has been done. What if:

1. All death certificates issued by Service Alberta, or funeral homes, must be immediately filed by the issuers with Elections Alberta.  That way the names could be checked with the Voting List and names removed through an administrative process.

2. That filing of Death Certificates should also identify the person to whom the Death Certificate was issued, with their address, a copy of proof of identification and identification of their relationship to the deceased.  If a law firm acting for an estate is requesting a Death Certificate, they could be required to provide Elections Alberta with a Statutory Declaration of the client information on who’s behalf they are requesting the Death Certificate.

3. If someone calls up to remove a name, like I did, shouldn’t they first provide Elections Alberta with a copy of the Death Certificate and proof of their relationship to the deceased, like an Executor, or family member, as well as personal picture identifications and contact information?

4. Once the deceased is removed from the Voting Record, Elections Alberta should provide written confirmation of the fact to the person making the request, that mailed to the original address of the deceased. That way, if the person making the request is legitimate they will get the mail.

5. The change of address or change of name could have similar verification steps to avoid electron fraud.

I have not yet received a reply from Elections Alberta, and don’t expect to in the near future.  After all, they have a very complex election to run.  But after May 29th, I will be following up.

HERE IS THE PRINCIPLE THAT SHOULD BE FOLLOWED

Democracy is built on Trust and it depends on Trust.  But as Reagan said to Gorbachev, back in the day, “Of course I trust you Mikhail, I just need to verify.”