前阿尔伯塔省选举局局长表示，其继任者的新规则实际上剥夺了他在该省分离公投中的投票权。
The former head of Elections Alberta says his successor's new rule has effectively denied him the right to vote in the province's separation referendum.
格伦·雷斯勒曾于2013年至2024年担任该省首席选举官，他表示自己是大约65.8万申请以特别选票方式投票的阿尔伯塔省居民之一。
Glen Resler, who was the province's chief electoral officer from 2013 to 2024, said he was among the roughly 658,000 Albertans who applied to vote by special ballot.
但他表示，上周他无法邮寄选票，当时加拿大邮政仍能保证在阿尔伯塔省选举局周五下午5点前收到特别选票的截止时间之前送达。
But he said he was unable to mail his ballot last week, when Canada Post could still guarantee delivery before Elections Alberta's deadline to receive special ballots by Friday at 5 p.m.
雷斯勒说，他本周早些时候曾尝试亲自将选票送至埃德蒙顿的阿尔伯塔省选举局办公室，但被拒绝，并被告知省法律规定特别选票只能通过邮寄方式退回。
Resler said he tried to deliver his ballot in person to Elections Alberta's office in Edmonton earlier this week but was turned away and told provincial law dictates special ballots can only be returned by mail.
他说，本周提前投票站的投票对他来说不是一个选项，因为他当时会外出，且在10月19日的选举日也会不在。雷斯勒表示，《选举法》允许亲自递交选票。他说，现任首席选举官戈登·麦克卢尔正在拒绝使用这一权力。
Voting at this week's advance polls wasn't an option, he said, as he would be away then and on election day Oct. 19. Resler said the Election Act permits in-person deliveries. He said Gordon McClure, the current chief electoral officer, is refusing to use that power.
“通过取消这一机会，他们实际上剥夺了我行使投票权的机会，”雷斯勒说。
"By removing that opportunity, they're removing the opportunity for me to exercise my right to vote," Resler said.
“我认为他们应该尽一切可能让阿尔伯塔省居民行使他们的投票权。”
"I think they should be doing whatever is possible to allow Albertans to exercise their vote.
《选举法》条款规定，当邮寄送达“不合理可能”时，首席选举官可以允许特别选票通过亲自递交或快递方式送达。该局发言人米歇尔·古尔尼周四表示，这意味着只有居住在偏远地区的人才符合资格。
The Election Act clause says the chief electoral officer can permit in-person or courier delivery of special ballots when delivery by mail is "not reasonably possible." Michelle Gurney, a spokesperson for the agency, said that means only those who live in remote areas are eligible.
“对于绝大多数选民来说，通过邮寄返还特别选票包裹是合理可能的，因为他们有邮政服务，”古尔尼说。
"It is reasonably possible for the vast majority of electors to return their special ballot packages by mail as they have mail service," Gurney said Thursday.
雷斯勒表示，他对该条款的理解不同，如果他仍然担任该职务，他将在加拿大邮政无法保证及时送达时起，允许亲自递交选票。
Resler said he interprets the clause differently and, if he was still in the role, he would permit in-person drop-offs starting when Canada Post can no longer guarantee timely delivery.
“设置投票障碍就是在剥夺阿尔伯塔人的选举权。”阿尔伯塔选举局表示，截至周四，其已收到并处理约45.4万份邮寄选票，占寄出选票的近70%。
"By putting up barriers to vote, you're disenfranchising Albertans." Elections Alberta said that as of Thursday, it had received and processed about 454,000 mail-in ballots, or nearly 70 per cent of those sent out.
雷斯勒表示，仍有如此多的邮寄选票悬而未决，这也是要求阿尔伯塔选举局在周五截止日期前接受现场或快递递交选票的另一个理由。
Resler said having so many mail-in ballots still in limbo is another argument to have Elections Alberta accept in-person or courier delivery before Friday's deadline.
“特别选票就在离这里50英尺远的同一栋楼里被收取、开启和处理，但他们不允许这种情况发生。”他说。“我们同意该立法具有限制性，并希望立法议会考虑修订。”
"It's the same building in which the special ballots are being received and opened and processed 50 feet away, and they're not allowing that to happen," he said. "We agree the legislation is limiting and hope the legislative assembly will consider an amendment.
古尼表示，禁止现场投递的规定是去年由联合保守党政府引入的，该机构认为这是一项倒退。
Gurney said the rule preventing in-person drop-offs was brought in last year by the United Conservative Party government and that the agency considers it a setback.
“如今，人们对传统邮寄的依赖远低于历史水平，可能选择其他方式安全递送重要文件。”她说。司法部长米奇·阿梅里办公室未立即回应置评请求。
"Today, people are much less reliant on traditional mail than they were historically and may choose other ways to have important documents delivered securely," she said. Justice Minister Mickey Amery's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
阿尔伯塔选举局表示，其预计丹妮尔·史密斯省长的10项公投将创造历史性投票率，该公投包括一项关于阿尔伯塔人是否希望该省继续留在加拿大，或举行第二次具有约束力的独立公投的问题。
Elections Alberta has said it's expecting record voter turnout for Premier Danielle Smith's 10-question referendum, which features a question on whether Albertans want the province to remain in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on independence.
申请邮寄选票的数量前所未有，该机构表示，提前投票首两天选民兴趣仍然高涨。
The number of requested mail-in ballots is unprecedented, and the agency said voter interest remained high in the first two days of advance polling.
周三，近18.7万名阿尔伯塔人投了选票，超过前一天开启提前投票时前往投票站的近17.5万人。
Almost 187,000 Albertans cast ballots Wednesday, more than the nearly 175,000 who trekked to polls the day before when advance voting opened.
该机构表示，2023年大选期间，提前投票的日均人数刚刚低于15.2万人。
The agency said that for the 2023 general election, the daily average for advance voting was just under 152,000.