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A comment on Alberta voter list leak is a potential public safety disaster. Parent comment

Re:Alberta voter list leak is a potential public safety disa... by dblohm7 on Monday May 04, 2026 @01:35PM (#48012007)
I mean, it's not really optional for Canadians _not_ to sign up for the list. It's the official list of electors. If you're a citizen, you're going to end up on the voter list one way or another.
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Re:Alberta voter list leak is a potential public safety disa... by Teever on Monday May 04, 2026 @03:10PM (#48013482)
I was under the impression that this was the optional list that you sign up for with the CRA when you file your taxes, is that not the case?
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Re:Alberta voter list leak is a potential public safety disa... by thunderfork on Monday May 04, 2026 @03:42PM (#48013914)
The data sharing between the CRA and Elections Canada is optional, but if you want to vote, you've got to be registered - whether via the CRA or otherwise.
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Re:Alberta voter list leak is a potential public safety disa... by MichaelBurjack on Monday May 04, 2026 @06:53PM (#48016018)
Being on the electors list is optional, is something you can opt-in to (and opt-out of), and is not required in order to vote in Alberta.

There are many reasons an individual may choose to not be on the list (eg. domestic abuse situations).

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Re:Alberta voter list leak is a potential public safety disa... by gucci-on-fleek on Monday May 04, 2026 @06:55PM (#48016030)
> but if you want to vote, you've got to be registered - whether via the CRA or otherwise

Technically true, but you can register at the polling booth on the day of the election, and there's a checkbox that lets you opt out of saving your data in the database. [0]

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48015977

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Re:Alberta voter list leak is a potential public safety disa... by gucci-on-fleek on Monday May 04, 2026 @06:53PM (#48016017)
It actually is optional. You should always be able to opt out of registering for it, and if you are registered and don't want to be, there's an official form that you can fill out to get removed. See my other comment [0] for a few more details.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48015977

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