Bill 7 will require election campaign callers to identify themselves and say on whose behalf they ar

EDMONTON — Alberta's spring election was the most expensive in history costing taxpayers more than $13.6 million — nearly one-third more than the 2008 vote — and was marked by complaints about robo-calls, a flood and a suspicious rental cars by san antonio airport package that delayed voting at one poll, according to Alberta's Chief Electoral Officer.
The vote that gave Alison Redford's Progressive rental cars by san antonio airport Conservatives 61 seats in the 87-seat legislature rental cars by san antonio airport and drew the highest voter turnout in 19 years ran concurrently with a senate nominee election that cost taxpayers an additional $2.1 million, according to reports on the two elections released Friday.
The enumeration or listing of voters cost a further $6.5 million — up 35 per cent from 2004 — for a total election cost of $22.2 million. Not counting the enumeration expense, it cost $5.57 per listed elector compared to $3.88 in 2008.
Elections Alberta spokesman Drew Westwater said the cost of elections increase every four years due to increased voter population and the cost of inflation on election materials, supplies, and election staff.
Justice Minister Jonathan Denis has said the change included in Bill 7, the Election Accountability Amendment Act, could save the province millions in enumeration costs. The bill is expected to pass next week.
He also expressed concern about the difficulties in retaining 5,500 enumerators, adding that 845 enumerators left the job because rental cars by san antonio airport of difficulties contacting voters, lengthy driving times in rural areas and competing personal priorities.
"Conducting two parallel elections in one day is a complex undertaking," he said. "The accurate, timely count of two sets of ballots was identified by election officers as the biggest challenge related to the 2012 elections."
"Many recipients of the 'robo-calls' contacted Elections Alberta to complain about the time that calls were received, the frequency of the calls, and the fact that the caller's name and contact information were not always supplied," he said in his report. "Recipients of the unwanted calls were particularly incensed when they continued to receive calls after contacting the sponsor of the call and asking to have their names removed from the calling list."
Bill 7 will require election campaign callers to identify themselves and say on whose behalf they are calling. The callers will be required to provide contact information rental cars by san antonio airport and they are forbidden from blocking their number from call-display phones.
People line up early to vote in the Alberta provincial election at the Ritchie polling station in Edmonton on April 23, 2012. Photograph by: Edmonton Journal/Files, Edmonton Journal       E-mail this Gallery Print this Gallery Share this Gallery
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