Your privacy in Alberta might just be a politician's open book
Good morning from the coulees — the wind's up, the sky's wide, and Lethbridge has something to say.
Look, this one caught my eye, and it's not because of the usual Stampede-Riders rivalry chatter. We're talking about something pretty fundamental: who gets to see your personal information when you're just trying to live your life down here in southern Alberta. Turns out, all political parties in this province, whether they’re running candidates in every riding from Fort Mac to Taber, or just one lone soul trying to make a point, get full access to the voters list. That's a lot of names and addresses, folks.
### What This Means for You
This isn't just some abstract thing happening up in Edmonton. Your name, your address, maybe even your phone number if you've ever given it to Elections Alberta – it's all on that list. And every registered party gets it.
* Every registered political party in Alberta has access to the full voters list.
* This list includes personal information like names and addresses of all electors.
* It doesn't matter if a party has one candidate or a hundred; they get the same comprehensive list.
Think about that for a minute. You might only ever vote for one party, or maybe you don't even vote at all, but your details are still out there for any party to use. It makes you wonder how many flyers end up in mailboxes along Mayor Magrath Drive, or how many calls ring across the Oldman River to the west side, all based on a list that feels a bit too broadly distributed. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to pull your mail closer and squint at the return address.
For us here in Lethbridge, living in a province that loves its political debates and isn't shy about expressing opinions, it just feels like something we ought to be thinking about. When you’re walking across the High Level Bridge, looking out over the coulees, you figure your personal choices are, well, personal. But when it comes to the voters list, maybe not so much. It’s worth knowing what’s out there, especially with that chinook arch promising change on the horizon.
Jolene Blackwater, MiTL Sports Desk, reporting from the heart of Blackfoot Territory.
Myrna and the crew dig into these kinds of things every morning – catch it live at mornings.live.