Alberta overhauls election laws to allow corporate donations, change referendum thresholds

The Alberta authorities wants to bring backmost firm and national governmental donations, destruct the process of vouching for a voter's individuality astatine predetermination polling stations, and little the threshold for recalls and referendums. 

The measures are projected successful Bill 54, Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, tabled by Justice Minister Mickey Amery successful the legislature Tuesday. 

The bill, which amends 7 pieces of authorities including the Election Act, would besides prohibition the usage of physics ballot tabulators, a measurement that was promised by Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative government.

Smith told a quality league that her authorities wants to marque it easier for Albertans to explicit their governmental views. 

"These changes physique connected the integrity, spot and openness that person ever been astatine the bosom of ideology and support Alberta beardown and free," she said. 

The prohibition connected firm and national donations to governmental parties was successful the archetypal portion of authorities passed by Rachel Notley's NDP authorities successful 2015.

If passed, Bill 54 volition let these types of contributions to an aggregate maximum of $5,000 to parties, constituency associations, candidates and third-party governmental advertisers. The measure besides sets a abstracted publication bounds of $5,000 for enactment candidates. 

Amery said there are differences for however the donations volition beryllium reported this time. 

"All candidates person to relationship for wherever their wealth is coming from, who it's coming from and marque definite that that is publically disclosed to members of the public," helium said successful an interrogation with CBC News. 

"Moreover, astatine this time the firm donations, for example, are not taxation deductible. And truthful that is an important constituent that differs, I think, from erstwhile time."

Recall and referendum changes

Currently, voters who deficiency due recognition tin inactive ballot if different eligible elector from their riding is capable to vouch for them. Bill 54 volition destruct vouching but it expands the types of recognition that tin beryllium utilized to beryllium idiosyncratic lives successful the electoral territory and tin vote. 

The Recall Act and the Citizens Initiative Act, passed by the UCP authorities successful 2021, outlines the process by which citizens tin initiate the callback of an elected MLA. People person since complained that the timeline and fig of signatures required for a palmy petition were excessively onerous. 

Bill 54 proposes lowering the signature threshold, and extending the signature postulation play from 60 to 90 days for MLA recalls and from 90 to 120 days for a citizen's inaugural oregon referendum. 

The fig of signatures for an MLA callback would beryllium 60 per cent of the fig who voted successful a riding successful the astir caller provincial election. The existent threshold is 40 per cent of each eligible voters successful that riding. 

The threshold for a referendum would beryllium 10 per cent of radical who voted successful the past provincial election, compared to the existent 10 per cent of each registered voters for legislative and argumentation referendums and 20 per cent of registered voters successful two-thirds of Alberta ridings for law questions. 

If the measure is passed, an MLA who is the taxable of a callback petition could adhd a effect to the reasons listed by the petitioner. 

A callback ballot would beryllium moved up to 4 months from the existent six months if the petition is approved by the main electoral officer. 

The usage of tabulator oregon physics ballot counting machines volition beryllium banned nether Bill 54 truthful ballots volition person to beryllium counted by hand.  The measure sets a deadline of 12 hours for the unofficial ballot number to beryllium completed. 

Other measures projected successful Bill 54 include: 

• Requiring municipal councillors and schoolhouse trustees to instrumentality an unpaid permission of lack erstwhile they tally successful a provincial election.

• Increasing spending limits for third-party advertisers from $182,000 to $500,000 successful some the pre-writ and predetermination periods. 

• Allowing mail-in ballots for law referendums. They are presently allowed for non-constitutional referendums.

• Giving the main electoral serviceman the quality to clasp referendum votes connected First Nations and Métis settlements astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic a municipal election. 

• Requiring municipal and schoolhouse committee candidates to study their donations by Sept. 30, successful beforehand of the October election. The request would besides use to third-party advertisers.

• Allow radical to bargain enactment memberships for household members without requiring a receipt if the acquisition is nether $50. Current rules let radical to bargain lone memberships for themselves.