Fact check: Can non-Albertans mail in referendum votes?

# What the claim said

# Alberta says Elections Alberta says it checks all special ballot applications against its voter registration system to exclude fraudulent ones. It also says proof of identification is required to cast a ballot. Those two statements are the agency's direct response to concerns raised by the viral posts.

# What's verified and what isn't

• Verified: A viral claim and screenshots circulated showing an application submitted with an out-of-province address. The claim gained widespread attention on social media.
• Verified: Elections Alberta's stated process includes cross-checking special ballot applications against the voter registration system and requiring ID to cast a ballot.
• Not established by the available material: That ballots are routinely mailed to non-residents or that the application system permanently allows unauthorised submissions to translate into counted votes. The publicly reported dispute is between what users were able to submit online and the agency's verification steps.

# Why this matters Mail-in or special ballots increase access but also raise questions about safeguards. If an application system accepts incorrect or out-of-province information at the input stage, it does not by itself prove ballots will be mailed or counted without verification. The critical checks occur when Elections Alberta compares applications to the voter register and requires ID at the time a ballot is cast.

# What voters should keep in mind

• If you applied for a special mail-in ballot and live in Alberta, expect Elections Alberta to verify your application against the voter list.
• If you receive a ballot package and are unsure about its legitimacy, contact Elections Alberta directly for confirmation before returning anything.

# Bottom line The viral claim that mail-in voting is "open to anybody" without verification is incomplete. Elections Alberta says it conducts checks against its voter registration system and requires ID to cast a ballot. Social-media screenshots showing out-of-province addresses were circulated, but the agency's verification steps are the relevant safeguard before any ballot would be accepted and counted.