Canada Post says Albertans should have their special ballots in the mail by Friday to ensure their votes are received in time. Here is what you need to know as that deadline approaches. Elections Alberta said on Wednesday that the final batch of special ballots was sent for production and mailing on Thursday while Canada Post said all of the 652,000 or so special ballots printed had either been delivered or would be delivered to voters “shortly.” Those ballots must be filled out, mailed back and received by Elections Alberta by Oct. 16 at 5 p.m. or they won’t be counted. The Alberta Election Act requires special ballots to be mailed back; they cannot be returned to Elections Alberta in person. Canada Post says standard lettermail delivery is two business days locally and three provincially. It said it is working with Elections Alberta closely and monitoring mailings, but it recommends voters mail packages back with a week to spare to account for the holiday and any unforeseen delays. Voters worried about getting their ballot in time can pay for priority or Xpresspost to speed things along. An elector has voted successfully once their ballot is marked as received by Elections Alberta. You can find that status by using the link in your special ballot request confirmation email. The province’s election administrator said, as of Wednesday, around 250,000 mail-in voting packages had been returned and received. While more than 3,000 returned ballots had errors that would invalidate them, electors were being contacted and given the chance to correct any issues over email. Albertans can vote in person even if they requested a special ballot, as long as their ballot has not been marked as received by Elections Alberta. There will be 310 advanced polling stations open from Oct. 13 to 17, during which Albertans can vote at any voting place within their electoral division. Elections Alberta said anyone who votes in advanced polls before the special ballot deadline will be marked as voted and their special ballot will be rejected when it arrives. On election day Oct. 19, Albertans have to vote at the voting place assigned for their physical address. Electors can find that information on the Elections Alberta website. With files from The Canadian Press
