Battle River-Crowfoot byelection ballot to not have names

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OTTAWA — Efforts to create the longest ballot in Canadian history have come up short.

Unwilling to deal with the logistics of a 200-plus name ballot, Elections Canada will instead offer voters in the coming Battle River-Crowfoot byelection a ballot without any names at all — announcing Monday that voters will have to write the name of their preferred candidate on a ballot the size of bank cheque.

“Elections Canada has created an adapted ballot that is similar to a special ballot, on which electors write the name of the candidate they are voting for,” Elections Canada said in a news release.

“This adapted ballot will replace the typical list-style ballot, on which electors mark a blank circle next to the name of their candidate of choice.”

This adapted ballot, Elections Canada assures, will retain the safeguards of a typical ballot.

As of Monday, 209 candidates are on the ballot for the byelection thanks to the Longest Ballot Committee, an ongoing election reform protest formed in response to a failed election promise by former PM Justin Trudeau to do away with first-past-the-post balloting.

During April’s federal election, poll workers in the suburban Ottawa riding of Carleton had a difficult time dealing with the nearly metre-long 91-name ballot, another ballot embiggened by the committee.

The Alberta byelection was called after former Conservative MP Damien Kurek stepped aside to allow party leader Poilievre the chance to return to the House of Commons after losing his seat in Carleton on election night.

Voters will be provided a list of candidates, and are required to write the name of their preferred candidate on the ballot.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com