Elections AB, separatism, unemployment, Calgary-Shaw by-election, healthcare, separatism... and because Danielle Smith is premier; separatism again. ffs.
Perhaps Elections Alberta can hire some temporary foreign workers to count ballots after the referenda. Since tabulators are forbidden, by the voter suppression laws this government passed, this should placate the UCP base. Not.
Smith wants the referendum to be chaotic. She is setting Elections Alberta up to fail - so that she can continue to sow seeds of doubt in our electoral system. She is the worst.
An estimated nine-figure price tag for a non-binding vote - contextualized against standard general elections costing a fraction of that amount - is the epitome of both self-indulgence and self-flagellation.
When a government pushes an enormous province-wide vote onto a compressed timeline, administrative overhead, emergency procurement, and vendor premiums inevitably skyrocket.
It’s basic supply and demand.
Expanding recruitment to tens of thousands of staff creates a massive financial multiplier, particularly when labour accounts for half of an election's total cost. Layering on ballot complexity - such as multi-question, multi-page formats distributed millions of times over - drastically increases printing overhead.
And so, it’s time to go full Franz Kafka. I next recommend a referendum on whether this referendum was worth the cost.
I swear that Danielle Smith has undertaken as a solemn oath to her screw-loose self the goal of bankrupting this province. Shredding its foundational pillars of democracy. Undermining every public service. And wrenching it out of Canada on behalf of (fill in whatever suitable name here).
Perhaps Elections Alberta can hire some temporary foreign workers to count ballots after the referenda. Since tabulators are forbidden, by the voter suppression laws this government passed, this should placate the UCP base. Not.
🤣
Smith wants the referendum to be chaotic. She is setting Elections Alberta up to fail - so that she can continue to sow seeds of doubt in our electoral system. She is the worst.
All of this!
An estimated nine-figure price tag for a non-binding vote - contextualized against standard general elections costing a fraction of that amount - is the epitome of both self-indulgence and self-flagellation.
When a government pushes an enormous province-wide vote onto a compressed timeline, administrative overhead, emergency procurement, and vendor premiums inevitably skyrocket.
It’s basic supply and demand.
Expanding recruitment to tens of thousands of staff creates a massive financial multiplier, particularly when labour accounts for half of an election's total cost. Layering on ballot complexity - such as multi-question, multi-page formats distributed millions of times over - drastically increases printing overhead.
And so, it’s time to go full Franz Kafka. I next recommend a referendum on whether this referendum was worth the cost.
No to the Nine-figure waste of money.
YES!
Loved the article! I look forward to all of your pieces.
Many thanks, Mark :)
Smith sucks.
She thinks she can run a withdrawal from the dominion through the special projects office and keep her pipeline. She’s fucking delusional
I am too numb to be further surprised by this ongoing shit show! Never has so much emotional energy been wasted on such foolishness!
I’m with you. I fought to keep going this year. But I made it :)
I swear that Danielle Smith has undertaken as a solemn oath to her screw-loose self the goal of bankrupting this province. Shredding its foundational pillars of democracy. Undermining every public service. And wrenching it out of Canada on behalf of (fill in whatever suitable name here).
I fully agree. Now to sell that to Albertans…
If October's vote is non-binding, don't you think the ink on the future binding ballots is already dry? 😏
I bet she thinks it is…
I'm actually struck more by her presumption that her timeline would not be disrupted by even one court challenge.
Has she actually learned nothing at all, or does she just think her supporters are all idiots?
Yes. The answer is yes.
I realized that as soon as I wrote it.