Elections Alberta is investigating how the personal information of 2.9 million voters was leaked to a separatist group, and officials say they warned the government that legislative changes would hinder oversight.
Injunction Orders Removal of Database
A judge granted an injunction on Thursday ordering the Centurion Project, a group linked to Alberta separatism, to remove from its website a database containing phone numbers, addresses, and voter identification numbers of 2.9 million Albertans.
Timeline of Events
Elections Alberta reported receiving a tip on April 27 about potential misuse of the voter list. However, a journalist stated she had alerted the agency to the issue on March 31. The discrepancy raises questions about the speed of the response.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery told reporters on Monday that the government amended the Elections Statutes Amendment Act 2025 last spring to prevent investigations into “frivolous or vexatious” complaints. He noted that the legislation requires reasonable grounds linking a complaint to a breach.
“We know that Elections Alberta initially dismissed the complaint on that basis,” Amery said. “But what we don’t know is why they recommenced their investigation.”
Elections Alberta's Concerns
In a Friday press release, Elections Alberta revealed that the chief electoral officer had written to all members of the assembly on May 9, outlining concerns about the proposed changes. The letter stated that amendments preventing the election commissioner from discussing potential allegations would shift the burden onto complainants to provide a “substantively completed investigation.”
“The proposed changes will eliminate the majority of the compliance activities undertaken by the Election Commissioner and impact Albertans’ trust that the rules are being followed,” the letter said.
Limitations of New Law
The Elections Statute Amendment Act 2025, passed last April, introduced sweeping changes including a ban on vote tabulators, altered investigation thresholds, and restricted what the election commissioner could disclose publicly. Elections Alberta says these changes have constrained its ability to probe the misuse of the voter list.
The Centurion Project is alleged to have obtained unauthorized access to the Republic Party of Alberta’s copy of the elector list. The investigation continues as officials weigh whether further amendments are necessary.
