While it seems like the campaign has already begun, the writ for the next provincial election isn’t expected to be dropped for another two and a half months. Preparation for the coming election is already underway.
Drumheller-Stettler Returning Officer Janice Hoover, from Delia, has been appointed once again to oversee the provincial election slated by law for May 29, 2023.
“Once again we will have our main returning office in Hanna, but they also let us have a satellite returning office in Provost,” Hoover tells the Mail. “That will help serve people in the northeast area.”
This will be the first election in Alberta with a fixed election date. This has allowed the organization to get a jump start.
Hoover says the election clerks are in place and are bringing in support staff. The next step will be recruiting election day workers and workers to staff the advance poll workers. This should happen in late March and early April.
Her responsibility is, “To follow the Election Act and make sure that everyone who is eligible has the opportunity to vote,” said Hoover. “In an area as geographically large as our electoral division is, there are lots of details and plans that need to be laid and accounted for.”
There have been a few changes to the polling locations.
“Some of our voting areas are geographically larger because of the success of the advance polls. In the last election, more people took advantage of the advance polls,” she said.
Hoover said some of the polling stations were very quiet because of the advance polls. The poll locations are confirmed.
“This is earlier than usual because usually, we had to wait because we didn't know when the election is, because you had to wait for the writ to be dropped, but because this is the first time there has been a planned fixed election date, we were able to get our voting places sorted out earlier,” she said.
The Where to Vote Cards are expected to come out in the near future.
"According to the Elections Alberta timetable, we are right on track, or ahead of schedule,” said Hoover.

The Rural Mental Health Network is presenting a second speaker with an impactful message to area residents.
On Thursday, February 9, Humbolt Bronco survivor Tyler Smith will be speaking at Kaleidoscope Theatre. This follows up on last week’s speaker Tom Watson.
“April 6, 2018, was a day that my life changed forever physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Smith in a bio about the tragic crash. “But I never understood mental health and chose to neglect what was going on in my mind. The physical recovery took precedence and that caused me to suffer mentally and emotionally.”
He runs his company “Not Alone Co” which bills itself as a Mental Health Awareness Community. This includes his speaking engagements, a blog, and a clothing line that focuses on the message that you are “Not Alone” and “It’s okay to not be okay”.
“Now almost four years since the accident, I am still making steps in my healing journey and have found that speaking about my story and journey has allowed myself to heal while hopefully helping others do the same,” he said. “The power of a story, the power of a new perspective, and the power of a conversation, I used to take all of these for granted, but not anymore.”
Along with his organization at https://www.notaloneco.com, he also hosts a podcast called “Speak Your Mind” with NHL player Riley Sheahan, where they interview guests from the world of sports, entertainment and beyond on their experiences with mental health aiming to help people feel more comfortable with the topic and spread awareness for mental health.
Diana Rowe of the Rural Mental Mental Health Network says his messaging is around removing stigma, seeking help when you need it, and fostering a supportive community where we check up on others around us.
Smith will be appearing at Kaleidoscope Theatre on February 9 at 7 p.m.