Alberta’s elections agency remains pressed in smaller communities to find enough staff for a provincewide referendum vote that looms ever near. Elections Alberta said it was reaching out to Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in other provinces to support a 60,000-person hiring goal for the multi-ballot vote that will require swift and ongoing counting by Oct. 19. The agency said it was a common practice to ask for help from across the country for senior, experienced roles with “highly specialized expertise” that would provide expert resources during a “critical election event.” “Similar invitations and programs happen across the country to major electoral events,” a spokesperson told CTV News Edmonton. Elections Alberta says it has received more than 30,000 applications for roles like ballot clerk, election officer, voting officer and returning officer but was missing strong enough numbers in communities like Fort McMurray, Medicine Hat-Cypress Hills, Taber Warner. Most of northern Alberta, it added, is “well below target and will need many more applicants.” It’s also received more than 130,000 requests for special ballots, which allow an Albertan to vote by mail if they are unable to appear at the polls on Oct. 19. Electors don’t need to provide a reason to apply to vote by mail. The agency says it intends to begin sending ballots out by Sept. 1. Applicants for the October referendum – which will ask 10 separation, immigration and constitution-related questions – are hired by the returning officer of their electoral division. “Hiring activity is ramping up, and successful applicants can expect to hear back soon as returning officers move through the hiring process. Due to the volume, it will take some time, so we ask applicants to be patient,” an Elections Alberta spokesperson added.
