Voters in the upcoming Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in eastern Alberta will be required to write out the name of their preferred candidate, Elections Canada said, because of the unusually high number of people running and past challenges with long ballots.
More than 200 people were registered to run as of Monday, which was also the last day to sign up for candidacy.
The list includes Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, the NDP’s Katherine Swampy and dozens more sponsored by the Longest Ballot Committee, a protest group bringing attention to the issue of electoral reform.
The advocacy group also targeted Poilievre’s former Ottawa riding of Carleton in the April general election, which he lost, by registering some 91 candidates, making the ballot bulky and requiring a number of folds to submit.
Elections Canada says voters will be given a complete list of candidates in Battle River-Crowfoot’s Aug. 18 vote and every adapted ballot that clearly names a candidate, and not a party, will be counted in front of a witness.
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The byelection was called last month after Conservative Damien Kurek, who handily won the seat in the April vote, stepped down so Poilievre could run.
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