An Alberta judge has dismissed a legal challenge brought by the Opposition NDP against the government’s recently implemented voter list restrictions. Justice John Gill of the Court of King’s Bench ruled that the government acted lawfully in limiting the disclosure of personal information to political parties. He affirmed the government’s position that the restrictions do not pose a significant threat to the integrity of the upcoming separation referendum.
Under the revised regulations, Elections Alberta is now permitted to share only the number of registered voters in each voting region and municipality with political parties, rather than providing comprehensive lists containing full names, addresses, and phone numbers. The NDP contended that these new rules undermine the purpose of voter lists and could impede the ability of referendum scrutineers to effectively monitor the ballot counting process on October 19.
Premier Danielle Smith criticized the NDP for contesting the changes, emphasizing that safeguarding voter information, especially following a recent privacy breach involving a separatist group, should transcend partisan politics. Justice Minister Mickey Amery condemned the NDP’s position as hypocritical, stating that they cannot claim to champion privacy rights while simultaneously challenging voter privacy protections in court.
The government’s updated regulation governing voter information is set to expire at the end of the year. The UCP government has indicated its plans to introduce legislation during the upcoming fall session aimed at enhancing the security of information contained in the voter list.