Absence of voter lists benefits incumbents, mayoral hopefuls say
Two Calgary mayoral candidates without council experience say not being provided voter lists puts them on an unlevel playing field.
Zane Novak said incumbents on council already have an advantage in municipal elections, and argued not receiving a list of electors will be another hurdle facing newcomers.
“The list allows individuals such as myself to create a reachout, whether it's via phone, email, whatever it is to engage with voters,” said Novak, a Calgary businessman and the former head of the Kerby Centre.
“It's impossible for me to knock on 400,000 doors. … Getting that list is really crucial to those of us who are non-incumbents.”
Elections Calgary announced in May it planned to run the October civic election without a voter list.
The decision came amid concerns about giving access to the list to fringe mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston, who had publicly threatened Alberta Health Services employees.
The list typically is given to municipal candidates about a month before election day for campaigning purposes.
It's reasonable to restrict Johnston from receiving the voter list, said Brad Field, a Calgary businessman also running for mayor. But he said the city should find a way to provide information on electors to good-faith candidates.
“Anybody who is potentially putting public safety at risk has to be excluded from having access to personal names and personal information, addresses, home addresses, phone numbers,” said Field. “I'm struggling with one candidate, one bad apple, creating a bit of havoc in this situation, for incumbents as well as outsiders.”
Novak argued a police background check could be used to vet candidate access to the list.
He added existing punishments for misuse of voter lists are harsh, including fines up to $100,000 and up to one year of jail time.
“I just don't like to think that the deck continually gets stacked against new people trying to get in and change things we feel need to be changed. It feels like the barriers become more instead of less for those who aren't career politicians,” Novak said.
When asked by Novak about the issue at an event at the Calgary Petroleum Club Friday, Premier Jason Kenney said the issue is under municipal jurisdiction, but he hopes it will be resolved.
“Perhaps the municipal government can find a way to reconcile those two things, of equal access to the voters' list without empowering somebody to inflict harm,” Kenney said.
In May, when Elections Calgary opted to go without the lists, Nenshi told reporters he understood the lists were “not that useful” to candidates but that he was concerned some campaigns could be put at a disadvantage from the decision.
City council could still direct election officials to prepare a voter list, but city solicitor Jill Floen has said there are no plans to request that direction.
Municipalities in Alberta are not legally required to provide candidates with a list of voters
Historically, incumbents fare well in Calgary's elections, with a
It's impossible for me to knock on 400,000 doors … that list is really crucial to those of us who are non-incumbents.
particularly good showing in 2017, when all 10 incumbent councillors and Nenshi won their bid for re-election. Incumbents generally maintain a database of their supporters.
Nenshi is not running again, but three first-term councillors — Jeff Davison, Jyoti Gondek and Jeromy Farkas — are vying for his spot.
The last time an incumbent mayor did not run for re-election was in 2010. That was the year Nenshi won the seat as an outsider, besting then-alderman Ric Mciver.
Both Field and Novak said they are confident they can break through the field of candidates established from their time on council to contend for the city's top position.
“If Calgarians are looking for status quo, then they'll have three choices in the incumbents to choose from. If they want true change, it has to come from the outside,” Field said.
Calgarians will head to the polls for this year's municipal election Oct. 18.