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EDMONTON — Elections Alberta says nine recall petitions targeting members of the legislature have been terminated, with two withdrawn and seven failing to gather enough support to move forward.
Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure said the agency received two withdrawal notices under the Recall Act and completed verification of seven additional petitions whose signature collection periods had ended.
The withdrawn petitions targeted Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely and Spruce Grove Stony Plain MLA Searle Turton.
After preliminary verification, Elections Alberta said the remaining seven petitions did not meet required thresholds and were declared unsuccessful. Under the law, recall efforts must collect signatures from 60 per cent of eligible voters in the electoral district based on turnout in the last election.
Petitions targeting Myles McDougall, Ric McIver, Muhammad Yaseen, Rajan Sawhney, Nolan Dyck, RJ Sigurdson and Dale Nally all fell short during the preliminary count stage.
While this winter has seen a plethora of recall petitions and citizen led initiatives, so far only one has been successful, that being the Alberta Forever Canadian petition to put to rest any questions of Alberta separation.
Elections Alberta says recall petition applicants must now return materials, destroy copies of signature sheets and file sworn affidavits confirming compliance. Financial reporting requirements also remain in place, including for petitions withdrawn or terminated.
Under the Recall Act, a successful petition would trigger a recall vote within four months.
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