Elections Alberta has begun verifying signatures on the Alberta independence citizen initiative petition, with results expected no later than July 27.
The verification process began July 6 after a Court of Appeal decision allowed that part of the process to proceed while proponent Mitch Sylvestre appeals a Court of King’s Bench ruling that quashed the issuance of the petition.
The petition asks for a constitutional referendum on Alberta independence. For the citizen initiative to be successful, it must include valid signatures from at least 10 per cent of the total number of votes cast in the last provincial general election. Elections Alberta lists that threshold at 177,732 signatures, based on 1,777,315 votes cast in the 2023 provincial election.
The agency has 21 days to complete verification. Once that work is finished, Elections Alberta says it will post the results on its website as soon as practical and no later than July 27.
If the petition is found to be successful, Elections Alberta says it will submit a copy of the proposal to the Minister of Justice. Under Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act, the minister is then required to refer the proposal to the Lieutenant Governor in Council for the purpose of a constitutional referendum under the Referendum Act.
The process is detailed, and for good reason.
Elections Alberta says it will check that only approved petition sheets were used, that signatures are original, that individuals signed only once, and that each entry includes required information such as full name, physical address, contact information, date, signature and eligibility declaration. Each signature must also have been witnessed by a registered canvasser, and each petition sheet must be signed by a canvasser.
Some electors who signed the petition may be contacted as part of the verification process. Elections Alberta says randomly selected electors may receive a text message before a phone call if a phone number was provided. Others may receive an email asking them to verify information.
The agency says electors do not need to call or text back in response to the initial message.
The verification will also include statistically valid random sampling, with the process required to meet a 95 per cent confidence level. The proponent and the Minister of Justice may appoint scrutineers to observe the process. Elections Alberta says those scrutineers must be lawyers and active members of the Law Society.
The petition was issued Jan. 2. The 120-day signature period ended May 2nd.
For Albertans, the verification process does not settle the larger political question. It only answers whether the petition meets the legal requirements to move to the next stage.