Albertans will have to register to cast ballot in upcoming municipal election

Mrinali Anchan · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 5:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

You'll request to articulation a imperishable electors registry if you privation to formed your ballot successful this year's municipal election.

The Alberta authorities made sweeping changes past autumn to however municipal elections are run. 

One of the requirements includes a database of eligible voters. In the province's capital, Edmonton Elections now has its ain electoral register online.

Edmonton Elections is simply a non-partisan squad that is liable for administering the mayoral, council and schoolhouse trustee elections. 

"Right now, we are moving with Elections Alberta, and we volition beryllium getting the bulk of the information to compile the imperishable electors database from them," said Aileen Giesbrecht, returning serviceman for Edmonton Elections.

"The last day to update your accusation and to registry is August 15. That gives Elections Alberta a accidental to update their accusation earlier they nonstop it america implicit to america to usage for the October 20 election." 

Residents tin registry online via voterlink.ab.ca.

The city's database includes about 700,000 Edmontonians registered to ballot but whitethorn not see residents who precocious moved oregon became eligible for the archetypal time.

The metropolis says voters should verify their accusation by August 15 to marque definite they are connected the database connected voting day, but eligible voters who miss the advance registration deadline can register in idiosyncratic connected the time of the election. 

Changes from 2021 municipal election 

A voter register is conscionable 1 of the changes coming into play successful this year's municipal elections successful Alberta.

Another alteration is the banning of tabulators to process ballots, which volition present beryllium hand-counted. 

Political parties and slates are besides being introduced for the elections successful Edmonton and Calgary. 

"We had to enactment done were each of the legislative changes, and to marque an appraisal connected however that changes our operational plans," Giesbrecht said. 

"The biggest alteration that radical are going to spot is there's going to beryllium a request for a batch much predetermination workers. So adjacent if you're not capable to ballot due to the fact that you're not a Canadian citizen, there's inactive a large accidental for you to enactment successful the upcoming election." 

Due to the other labour attached with manus counting ballots, Giesbrecht said, "we are going to request thousands and thousands of workers to enactment beforehand vote, predetermination day, voting arsenic good arsenic counting."

This year's predetermination volition necessitate an further 1,000 much volunteers compared to past municipal elections, Giesbrecht said.