As ballots were delivered by mail this week for review by the United Conservative Party leadership, a voting package was sent to the home of a non-party member in St. Albert.
Mary O’Neill did not expect to see an envelope with the leadership review bulletin in her mail. The bulletin is addressed to her husband Jack O’Neill.
Jack was Alberta’s former Deputy Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism and former Commissioner-General of the Alberta Commission on Human Rights from 1993 to 1994.
Mary served two terms, in 1997 and 2001, as the MLA of the Progressive Conservative Party for riding St. Albert.
“I thought it was strange that the ballot would be sent to someone who was not a member,” Mary said.
The voting package contains an identity check and a declaration form, in addition to a paid return envelope, a secret ballot envelope and the ballot paper itself.
The form clarifies that in order for the ballot paper to be considered valid, a declaration must be signed confirming that the voter is a member of the party who has paid his dues.
“I respect the political parties and I respect the challenges and the hard work of the workers,” Mary said. “But I don’t like seeing something that has the potential to be abused or mismanaged.”
While she remained a member of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Association until the party merged with the UCP, Mary said she was now a member of the Alberta Party and that her husband was not a member of the UCP.
“This raised my concern, if you are not a member, which is said to be a member, then how do they check if someone is a member,” she said. “It strikes me with such an emphasis that you have to pay a current member and yet they send the ballot.”
Dave Prisco, UCP’s communications director, told CTV News Edmonton that anyone who was a member of a legacy PC or Wildrose party became part of the UCP in 2017.
“This was part of the merger agreement, which was approved by the members in the merger vote,” Prisco said in a written statement.
Anyone who misrepresents their party status and puts the ballot in the leadership race is cheating, Prisco added.
“The verification process takes place from May 11 to 17, when volunteers confirm the eligibility of each voter before their ballot is placed in the ballot box,” Prisco said. “The vote counts only if a person meets all the requirements.”
The inspectors and the auditor will monitor the whole process, Prisco said.
“MEMORY IN THE PROCESS”
Lori Williams, a professor of political science at Mount Royal University, said the leadership review process was already in turmoil.
“I don’t know if there is anything to convince people who are now suspicious of the process,” she said. “The problem in this case is that it seems that people who are on any list that the former Progressive Conservative, Wildrose or UCP, anyone on any of their lists can get the newsletter today.
“Then the question arises as to who decided which of these people should receive the ballot by mail and which should not,” she added.
Kenny’s leadership review was originally scheduled to take place before 2022. It was then scheduled for the end of 2022, before a one-day personal vote took place on April 9 at Red Deer.
This was shifted from the party’s board to a mailing process after more than 15,000 people registered to vote.
Williams said some may now doubt whether determining who receives the ballots could be based on the assumption that they are more likely to vote for Prime Minister Jason Kenny.
“Many believe the party is now trying to focus on increasing Jason Kenny’s chances of winning the lead,” Williams said.
“On the other hand, I don’t think it helps, as if in this case people are getting ballots to take part in a process in which they don’t want to be part of the party, much less have Jason Kenny as their leader and prime minister.” “It could have the opposite effect,” Williams added.
For Mary, the whole ordeal left her “embarrassed.”
“This is a bulletin that we have no right to receive or certainly not send because (we are not) members,” she said.
“I believe that the political process must be legitimate, whether it is within a party – after I was part of it – or whether it is a general election. I just want integrity to be present in the process. ”
The results of the management review are expected to be announced on May 18. The vote must be submitted by May 11.
According to the UCP, there are approximately 60,000 voting members. If Kenny does not receive a majority of the support, the party will have to host a competition to elect a new leader.
With files from The Canadian Press
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