Alberton already surpasses normal voter turnout

In past years, the Township of Alberton has seen only about a 30 percent turnout for its municipal elections.
So it was decided to try the mail-in ballot to increase that number.
It seems to have worked. As of noon yesterday, the township already has had 37 percent of eligible voters return their ballots correctly.
That’s 299 valid votes out of a possible 807.
“We’re very happy with how things are going so far,” said Clerk-Treasurer/CAO Dawn Hayes.
However, she also noted 50 ballots were deemed “spoiled” because there was no voter declaration form enclosed in the reply envelope.
Several residents became aware of their mistake and have picked up replacement kits.
But Hayes is urging anyone who thinks they may have sent their kit in without the declaration, or if they put it in the sealed secrecy envelope with their ballot, to call the municipal office to check whether their name is crossed off the voters’ list.
“If it’s crossed off, they’ll know they did everything right,” she explained. “If not, they can come in to pick up a replacement voting kit.”
Hayes said voting kits will be accepted up until 8 p.m. on Monday (Nov. 13) if people want to deliver them in person.
In related news, several municipalities across Rainy River District held advanced polls this past Saturday. Clerks at the townships of Emo and La Vallee noted good turnouts while only three residents voted in Chapple.
But Cheryl Hagen, Chapple’s deputy clerk/treasurer, indicated she still expects a good turnout on election day (Nov. 13).