Alberta judge rejects NDP court challenge on voter list changes


An Alberta judge has thrown out a court challenge filed by the Opposition NDP on restricted voter list rules made by the government last month.

Court of King's Bench Justice John Gill says in his decision that the government was within its rights to restrict what private information is provided to political parties.

He also says he agrees with the government that the restrictions won't meaningfully undermine the integrity of the upcoming separation referendum.

The government's changes mean Elections Alberta can only provide political parties with the number of registered voters in each voting area and municipality, rather than lists with full names, addresses and phone numbers.

The NDP had argued the new rules undermined the purpose of having voter lists and that it would harm the ability of referendum scrutineers to properly observe the ballot counting process on Oct. 19.

Premier Danielle Smith is criticizing the NDP for challenging the changes in the first place, saying protecting voter information after a major privacy breach involving a separatist group earlier this year should be a non-partisan issue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2026.

By Jack Farrell | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.