Ralph drops the writ, but who gives a fuck?

[Wat_Tyler]

The NDP will gain a few, the far-right nutjobs might pick up a couple, but otherwise it's more of the same.

[Fenris]

1. Pardon this Yanqui for dropping in, but are you referring

To your splendid provincial leader?;)

[Wat_Tyler]

2. I am. Alberta is heading to the polls November 22nd.

The current breakdown is Tories - 73, Liberals 7, NDP 2, crazy ultra-right wing seperatists 1.

[Fenris]

4. Damn! Alberta is a haven for liberalism!

;)

Sort of the Texas of Canada.

[Wat_Tyler]

5. Cold Texas.

We don't have a Dallas, though. Just Houston and Austin.

[Fenris]

7. Your better off without a Dallas.

No need for big hair and gigantic cowboy hats.

[Wat_Tyler]

10. OK. Calgary is Houston AND Dallas, then.

[yvr girl]

3. I read on canada.com

That they've been in power for 33 years! That's unbelievable. Of course I'm from BC, where wild political shifts are de rigueur.

[u4ic]

6. But more importantly...

where's the goodies??!?!

Ralph's not trying to buy us off again...with our own money?:evilgrin:

[canuckagainstBush]

8. Look at my sigline n/t

[Wat_Tyler]

12. I hope the Liberals recover Varsity and Buffalo, but how will they pay for

the campaign? Is there money coming in?

[ironflange]

9. There's that Senate vote, too

We get to choose from a bunch of neo-cons, none of whom will ever be appointed. I plan to do what I did for the last one, leave the ballot blank. That's where paper ballots really shine, you really can say "none of the above."

[Wat_Tyler]

11. Can't you write in Richard Pryor? That'll fuck with them.

[ironflange]

13. No space for write-ins

Though a Post-It would work.

[Wat_Tyler]

14. Wasn't it the last election where there were guys who were prosecuted

for eating the ballot?

[ironflange]

15. I vaguely remember that event

The recent civic election here has some accusations of vote fraud regarding over 2000 mail-in ballot forms being sent to one PO box. Strangely, that box belonged to the winning candidate's campaign. Hmmmm. This may become a source of endless amusement.

[Wat_Tyler]

16. And she has some high-PC connections.

Furthermore, her husband has a record of similar events.

[iverglas]

17. decline that ballot!

I can't speak about Alberta provincial elections, but it's always an option in federal elections. (Not that I recommend it on those occasions, but it's there.)

Get recorded for voting, take the ballots, and hand back the stupid one, saying that you decline it. It then has to be counted as a declined ballot. (These phoney senate things are separate ballots from the real ballots for the local member of the legislature, is that right?)

Although, frankly, spoiling a ballot as stupid as that one sounds like a viable option.

Yes; here ya go:

http://www.canlii.org/ab/laws/sta/e-1/20040802/whole.html

Taking ballot out of polling place; declining to vote

107(1) A person who receives a ballot shall not take it out of the polling place.

(2) If a person contravenes subsection (1) or returns the person's ballot declining to vote, the deputy returning officer shall

(a) make an entry in the poll book in the appropriate column to the effect that the person received a ballot but took it out of the polling place or returned it declining to vote, as the case may be, and

(b) if the person declined to vote, immediately write the word "declined" on the ballot and place it in the required envelope to be sent to the returning officer.

(3) A person who contravenes subsection (1) or returns the person's ballot declining to vote

(a) forfeits the person's right to vote in the election, and

(b) shall forthwith leave the polling place.

(Kind of crappy drafting; not clear about declining one ballot and voting with another. It seems one would have to take the ballots, vote on one and return the other as declined *after* marking the first one, or else get chased out of the polling station forthwith if one did it in the reverse order.)

But it wouldn't be nearly as much fun as doing a write-in. Sheila Copps, maybe? Don Cherry? Tommy Douglas, that's it.


Here's the official explanation, for us non-Albertans:
http://www.iir.gov.ab.ca/canadian_intergovernmental_relations/senate_nominee_elections.asp

Alberta currently has three vacant seats in the Senate. Albertans will be electing people to fill those vacancies.

Har, har, har.

http://www.electionsalberta.ab.ca/ssa.html

Everyone who is eligible to vote in the Provincial General Election will be eligible to vote in the Senate Nominee Election. Each elector will be provided with two ballots on Polling Day: one to select a Member of the Legislative Assembly, and one to select Senate Nominees.

So it looks like you could decline the idiot thing independently of the real ballot.