Two proponents of citizen-led initiatives in Alberta with different causes are questioning the verification processes for their petitions, with one challenging the chief electoral officer’s decision in court and another calling for changes to the system.
The application argues McClure’s decision was “unreasonable” and procedurally unfair, and failed to reflect the purpose of the Citizen Initiative Act (CIA).
Water Not Coal collected 207,435 signatures, but McClure ruled the initiative unsuccessful on July 2 after determining that only 196,088 signatures were valid. Elections Alberta’s subsequent statistical sampling estimated that 172,088 signatures could be verified, according to the application.
Lund said in a release the review is necessary “to protect the integrity of citizen-driven democratic processes.”
“More than 200,000 Albertans signed this petition in good faith, and they deserve a fair and reasonable process,” Lund said. “We believe Elections Alberta applied standards that were stricter than the law requires, and that thousands of Albertans were effectively shut out by verification processes that don’t make sense.”
Lund’s application argues that the chief electoral officer misapplied the CIA and reached “unreasonable conclusions” during the validation and verification process, the release said.
The application raises concerns about requirements for electors to provide personal information and recall details months after signing, as well as whether caller ID practices and a recent breach of the electors list may have affected verification response rates.
The application also disputes Elections Alberta’s statistical sampling methods, including its margin of error, treatment of small samples, and replacement of non-responsive electors, arguing that the process ultimately overstated invalid signatures and understated valid ones.
The judicial review asks the court to overturn the decision and declare the Water Not Coal initiative successful, or, alternatively, send the matter back to Elections Alberta for reconsideration.
“People have a right to seek a judicial review, and we support that process,” the agency added.
A spokesperson for Alberta’s Ministry of Justice said in a statement that the provincial government “respects the independence and integrity of the citizen initiative and signature validation process.”
The spokesperson said the government could not comment further while the matter is before the courts.
Alberta Separatist Group’s Concerns
Although Elections Alberta ultimately deemed the petition successful, proponent Mitch Sylvestre said in a July 29 release that the verification process “exposed serious problems” with the agency’s methodology.
Elections Alberta counted 286,593 signatures and found 279,337 valid, while statistical sampling estimated that 222,597 names were verified, according to the release from Sylvestre’s Alberta Prosperity Project (APP).
APP said a lawyer serving as the proponent’s scrutineer attended Elections Alberta’s Edmonton warehouse throughout the verification process and had “repeatedly raised concerns.”
“Electors were recorded as failed verifications despite clearly remembering signing, simply because they could not recall minor details months later, such as the exact signing period, whether they showed identification, or whether a unit number appeared on their address,” said the release.
APP also argued that because each sampled verification was statistically weighted, a single rejection affected the validity of “more than 700 signatures,” and said electors were never warned. APP noted that none of the discrepancies suggested a signature was fraudulent or that the wrong person was contacted.
“Citizen initiatives are intended to empower ordinary Albertans, not test whether they can recite perfectly recorded details months later,” Sylvestre said in the release.
Sylvestre called for a legislative review, clearer regulations governing signature verification, greater public notice before telephone verification, and more transparency around statistical sampling.
A spokesperson for Alberta’s Ministry of Justice told The Epoch Times that Elections Alberta is responsible for applying and enforcing electoral legislation, including the signature verification process.
“It is the Government of Alberta’s hope that all Albertans can participate in a fair and respectful democratic process,” the spokesperson added.
Elections Alberta Responds
Elections Alberta responded to several concerns raised by Sylvestre in an emailed response to The Epoch Times.
Elections Alberta said the verification process and statistical sampling formula were reviewed and approved by Alberta Treasury Board and Finance. The agency said it uses a standard statistical sampling formula designed to achieve a 95 percent confidence level, plus or minus five percent.
“It is the same formula used in jurisdictions across North America conducting similar electoral citizen petition processes,” the agency said.
The agency said no signatures failed verification because an elector did not answer a phone call or respond to an email or voicemail. It said only three signatures were not verified because the electors contacted did not provide a unit number, which is required as part of a complete physical address for residences such as multi-unit buildings.
Elections Alberta said electors were not asked to provide the specific date they signed the petition, but instead were asked to confirm whether they had signed between Jan. 3 and May 2, 2026, the 120-day signature period.
The agency said the primary reasons signatures failed verification included information provided by electors during verification not matching the signature sheet, and electors being unable or unwilling to verify information recorded on the petition.
Elections Alberta said it had clearly informed Albertans when verification would begin through a news release, social media and its website, and had provided Sylvestre with information about the process to share with supporters.
