With a provincial election to be called before June 2012, Elections Alberta is facing challenges after its voters’ list came up at least 300,000 names short this year.
There are approximately 2.5 million eligible voters in the province, but Elections Alberta collected just over 2 million names in a recent door-to-door enumeration.
The organization blames the low numbers on increasing voter apathy, concern for privacy and personal safety, and building managers neglecting to accommodate enumerators when they come knocking.
Robert Drummond, professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Administration at York University, says this lack of participation in enumeration is symbolic of an “eroding democracy.”
“The Alberta situation is troubling, because people are saying they don’t want to be added to the list, because they won’t bother to vote, or they’re not interested in voting. That seems to be more of a problem than whether the list is up to date or not,” he says.
Drummond says Ontario and other provinces stopped using the door-to-door system because of its high cost and have instead adopted the permanent voters list, which compiles information from tax records, census forms, drivers’ records, and other government registrars.
But this system has been questioned for its accuracy, particularly in keeping updated in relation to people who move frequently or leave the country. If people who have moved away are still on the list, it also records them as not having voted and adds to an inaccurately low voter turnout.
Drummond says that although the door-to-door system is more expensive, it works well when voters participate because it gives people a sense of involvement in democracy and notifies them of upcoming elections.
“It gives you a sense of being part of the electorate in a way that the automatic system doesn’t really do.”
Voters who are not at home when the enumerator comes to the door can also register at the Voterlink website, an online elector registration program introduced in the 2008 general election.
NDP critic Rachel Notley has suggested that building managers or landlords who do not accommodate enumerators should be penalized because it threatens both the enumeration process and the ability of candidates to access potential voters.
But Drummond says positive reinforcement and raising awareness would be more effective than punishing people for denying enumerators information.
“You could have a fine, but I think it’s not something that’s going to encourage people to be favourably disposed towards the system,” he said.
Elections Alberta has said it will find other ways to track down the missing 300,000 names before the next election. Alberta Premier Alison Redford has said she will call a provincial election before June 2012.
