TAMRMS#: B06
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Mail-in Ballots for the 2021 Municipal Election
Notice given by: Mayor Heron
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present a motion for which Mayor Heron gave notice on November 16, 2020.
PROPOSED MOTION
recommendation
That the City of St. Albert second the Town of Okotoks' 2021 Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) resolution advocating Provincial establishment of a Regulation under the Local Authorities Election Act to enable special ballot provisions for any eligible elector for use in the 2021 civic election.
DISCUSSION
The attached Administrative Backgrounder discusses in some detail the motivation for this initiative by the Town of Okotoks.
The following should also be noted:
1. Mail-in ballots (known as "special ballots" in Alberta) are currently not mandatory: the legislation gives councils the option to offer mail-in voting for electors who will not be in the jurisdiction for Election Day or Advanced Polls, but does not require councils to do so. The proposed Okotoks AUMA motion would not change that situation: it contemplates that the use of special ballots would continue to be at the option of each municipal council. What the proposal would do, if acted on by the Government of Alberta, is to greatly widen the range of potential special ballot voters to include ALL eligible voters, should the municipality choose to offer this option. This would mean that a voter could choose to vote by mail-in ballot even if they would be available to cast their vote in person on Election Day or at an Advanced Poll.
2. Because of the potential for delays in tabulating and reporting election results if a large number of residents choose to vote by mail, Administration recommends that if Council agrees to support Okotoks' resolution, an amendment be proposed to encourage the Province to draft a Special Ballot Regulation so as to allow municipalities a reasonable time in advance of Election Day to begin...
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