Edmonton Elections adds verification step after some voters receive wrong school board ballots

Edmonton Elections says it has changed its ballot verification process after receiving calls from 40 people concerned about incorrect public school board ballots given to voters at advance polls this week.

In a news conference Thursday, city clerk and returning officer Aileen Giesbrecht said in a majority of the cases reported to Edmonton Elections, voters received correct ballots after speaking up at polling stations, but in some cases, voters said they received and submitted incorrect ballots.

Giesbrecht said election workers have brought up potential connectivity issues and staff believe that there were cases of election workers not refreshing their "Where to Vote" tool between voters.

"We believe this has taken place in very few voting stations and that these instances are limited," she said.

Edmonton Elections has since increased its staff, triple-checked technology and added another layer of ballot verification. As of Thursday, ballots will be checked by two poll workers before voters receive them.

Giesbrecht said because voting is secret, incorrect ballots cast cannot be changed. She said elections staff are contacting voters who complained.

Jeff Maruniak said he and his wife received public school board ballots for Ward G at the Mill Woods Senior and Multicultural Centre polling station on Monday.