Alberta election: Rise in alleged voter intimidation and election sign vandalism

Residents are alleging they have been victims of voter intimidation and election sign vandalism one week into Alberta’s election campaign.

There have been numerous complaints of election signs being vandalized or damaged, and a post on Reddit sparked a flurry of reaction.

Calgarian Stuart MacMahon says just days after his mom put an NDP election sign on her front lawn in the Parkland community, an anonymous letter was sent to her house listing reasons not to support the NDP party.

“Very strange that someone would go through that amount of effort to get their political opinion out there to someone they never met,” MacMahon said.

“In the past, you would see a sign on a lawn and think, ‘Oh well… I guess that person is voting that way,’ and that would be the end of it.”

He says it was how the letter ended that caused some concern.

A letter Stuart MacMahon’s mother received and shared on Reddit. (Courtesy Stuart MacMahon, Reddit)

“If the NDP gets in, I guarantee you that this community will see a horrible increase in crime. We will lose our rights and the ability to protect ourselves and loved one’s,” the letter reads.

“Wake up.”

MacMahon says instances like these causes worry about the future of Alberta and the election.

“It could be a neighbour; it could be someone who drives around and does this as a weird hobby. That uncertainty is unnerving. It might escalate If the NDP win or what happens with the election. That’s the scary part,” he said.

It’s unclear where the letter came from, and MacMahon says several others with NDP signs in that community also received the same letter.

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Christine Myatt, a senior New West Public Affairs consultant, says individuals who do this cause more harm than good to their chosen party.

“In fact, they’re probably making headaches for their candidate, and to try and intimidate on their behalf is pathetic, in my opinion,” she said.

Calgary’s Tuscany neighbourhood also fell victim to vandalism on election signs, and many community members are upset with the division this election is causing.

“I have a sign on my lawn, and my neighbour across the street has a different sign,” Jennifer Fedosenko told CityNews.

“We still chat, we still associate, we leave each other’s signs alone, we don’t discuss it. I don’t see why we can’t do this. If your side is the ‘right’ one. You don’t need to go destroy others. Period.”

Another post on Reddit has a user sharing a similar letter, with the sender telling the receiver to “please vote responsibly.”

Electors who believe an act of intimidation has occurred are encouraged to call the police and submit a complaint to Elections Alberta.