Some Alberta referendum polling stations to stay open late after voting delay
Elections Alberta said stations that opened late will remain open past 8 p.m. MT
asserted
that → stay → p.m.
Some voting stations will remain open late on referendum day, after not opening in time for their scheduled 9 a.m. MT starts.
Elections Alberta confirmed on Monday some voting locations were late to open.
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locations → remain → Monday
For instance, an elections officer at the Shane Homes YMCA polling station in Calgary's Rocky Ridge neighbourhood confirmed to CBC News that it opened at 9:55 a.m.
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it → confirm → a.m.
The election agency said it will provide a full list of stations with extended closing times, later on Monday.
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it → say → Monday
Steve Koristka said he arrived 10 minutes early to vote in Rocky Ridge on Monday, only to wait more than an hour before the station opened.
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station → say → hour
By the time it did, he said 20 people were in line and several voters had already left.
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voters → do → line
“You could see people getting frustrated, and coming up and banging on the door and shaking the handles,” said Koristka.
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Koristka → see → handles
“I chose to stick around because this election is important for everyone to get out there and have their say.”
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everyone → choose → say
It’s referendum day in Alberta.
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It → ’ → Alberta
Here’s what you need to know
Everything you need to know about the 10 questions in Alberta's Oct. 19 referendum
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you → ’ → referendum
At another polling station, at Westminster School in Edmonton, voters in line told CBC News the polling station closed down shortly after 9 a.m. It still wasn't open at 11:30 a.m.
Myrna Doiron said she came at 9:30 a.m. to vote, but wasn't able to finish until after 12.
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she → tell → 12
Those in line were told the station had to be set up again and rechecked.
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station → tell → line
She said she waited because she believes it's important.
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it → say → ?
"I've been taught: you vote and state your opinion.
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you → teach → opinion
If you really want a say, you should vote."
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you → want → say
Edmonton voter Myrna Doiron arrived at the Westminster School polling station around 9:30 a.m. and found it temporarily closed.
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it → arrive → a.m.
A spokesperson for the provincial election agency confirmed stations that opened late will remain open past their scheduled 8 p.m. closure to give voters enough time to cast their ballots, which will delay Albertans receiving results.
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which → confirm → results
Albertans are voting in Monday's referendum on whether the province should pursue a second binding referendum to separate from Canada, and on nine other questions about immigration and the Constitution.
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province → vote → immigration
Polling stations are open across Alberta until 8 p.m. Elections Alberta has said anyone in line when a station closes will be allowed to vote.
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station → say → line
Elections Alberta workers will begin counting advanced voting and special ballots at 5 p.m.
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workers → begin → voting
The provincial election agency has said 1.3 million people voted prior to referendum day via mail-in and advanced ballots.
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people → say → mail
Elections Alberta say enough staff hired
On Monday, Elections Alberta spokesperson Maia Hanrahan said the organization hired 47,000 elections officers, which she called a “fantastic response” after launching a recruitment campaign ahead of the referendum.
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she → say → referendum
The agency had hoped to hired 60,000.
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agency → hop → 60,000
“We’re really happy with the response and with the number of people we have,” Hanrahan told CBC Radio’s Calgary Eyeopener on Monday.
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Hanrahan → ’re → Monday
“This is enough people for us to run the voting places and the count.”
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us → run → places
Elections Alberta will first count Question 10, on separation, before it counts questions one through nine.
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it → count → nine
Its online results page will go live once all the voting stations are confirmed to be closed, Hanrahan said.
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Hanrahan → go → ?
Short wait to vote early at some stations
Voters at Hinton’s lone polling station, located at the Hinton Centre, reported short wait times and no lines Monday morning.
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Voters → vote → times
The parking lot outside is full of cars, but voters were moving in and out of the centre quickly.
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voters → move → centre
Simon Chislett said that voting took under five minutes, and that the process was straightforward.
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process → say → minutes
“No matter which way everybody votes, I think everybody has to be heard, no matter what," he said.
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he → vote → ?
Lisa Quakenbush, left, and Kendall Alcorn visited a polling station at the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association in Lethbridge.
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Quakenbush → visit → Lethbridge
They faced no lineups while voting over the lunch hour.
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They → face → hour
Outside a polling station in Lethbridge at noon, Kendall Alcorn said he found the voting process easy.
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process → say → noon
He’s concerned about Alberta's future and growing polarization.
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He → ’ → future
“Even amongst my own family, with my adult relatives, this is a topic we can’t discuss because it will sometimes turn into throwing fists," he said.
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he → discuss → fists
"I don’t understand that strict division, because in the end we all want what's best for Alberta.
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what → understand → Alberta
We just have different ways of approaching that.”
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We → have → that
In Calgary, Shannon Shirt cast a ballot in the southwest Windsor Park neighbourhood around 9:20 a.m., and even without a voter card, faced little trouble as a registered voter.
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Shirt → cast → voter
"I'm feeling relieved now,” said Shirt.
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I → feel → ?
…and 26 more, not listed.
The Aporia
