Both Elections Alberta and Alberta RCMP have released statements into the unauthorized use of the Provincial List of Electors.
Elections Alberta shared in a statement below that it is limited in commenting publicly about investigations that we may or may not be conducting. However, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has a fundamental responsibility to protect and safeguard the information contained within the List of Electors. We wish to reinforce that Elections Alberta is taking every possible action to protect and recover the information.
Further, we wish to reiterate that the Election Act legislates the contents, distribution, protection, and use of the provincial List of Electors. This is sensitive data, and there are many safeguards to ensure the List is only provided to the entities and individuals entitled under the law to receive it and is used only as expressly permitted in the Act.
On Thursday, Elections Alberta representatives, along with their legal counsel, attended Court of Kings Bench in Edmonton and applied for an ex parte emergent injunction to prohibit any further access to or use of the List of Electors. The Justice granted this injunction and the Centurion Project Ltd. is further prohibited from engaging in these extremely serious activities.
The injunction has been served. The Order directs the Centurion Project Ltd. and the Republican Party of Alberta to, within four days of the Order:
- Identify every person or entity the Centurion Project Ltd. and the Republican Party of Alberta have provided a copy of the List of Electors, or a portion of the List of Electors, and
- Identify every person or entity the Centurion Project Ltd. and the Republican Party of Alberta have permitted to access the information from the List of Electors or portion of the List of Electors, and
- Provide to the Chief Electoral Officer all contact information the Respondents have for these people or entities.
Later in the afternoon. Alberta RCMP confirmed that an investigation is underway in regards to the use of the elector list.
In a release by Alberta RCMP they shared that they confirm correspondence from an individual associated to the Alberta NDP raising concerns about potential misuse of the provincial voter list maintained by Elections Alberta.
The RCMP has initiated an investigation and is working with other law enforcement partners in the province to determine if any offence(s) have been committed respecting the dissemination or handling of the information contained in the voter list.
Elections Alberta is actively working with other appropriate agencies and organizations, including law enforcement and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, to determine the scale and scope of this matter and additional actions required.
-Excerpts from press releases from Elections Alberta and Alberta RCMP-
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