Alberta's election authority recommends delaying the 2027 provincial vote

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globalnews.ca

Alberta's chief electoral officer, Gordon McClure, has recommended that the province's next general election be postponed or run on current boundaries, warning that a boundary redraw being tabled in the legislature on Monday leaves insufficient time to administer the vote with integrity. A typical provincial election requires up to 18 months of preparation; the vote is scheduled for October 2027, and Elections Alberta has already been stretched thin by this month's referendum on separation.

The letter, dated Friday and shared by the opposition NDP, lands as NDP leader Naheed Nenshi accuses the forthcoming boundary report of gerrymandering ridings in Lethbridge and Calgary, diluting his party's support to the benefit of Premier Danielle Smith's UCP. Nenshi says the NDP will challenge the ridings in court on constitutional grounds and alleges the boundary panel received instructions from the government rather than working independently. Smith accused Nenshi of attacking the integrity of the panel's chair, a former judge, and told him to quit complaining and start campaigning.

A previous bipartisan boundary commission split after months of public consultations, prompting the new panel — and now a referee asking to move the match.