Longest ballot initiative runs over 100 candidates in Poilievre’s riding
Posted July 18, 2025 4:16 pm.
Last Updated July 19, 2025 9:36 am.
As federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre hopes to win a seat in parliament here in Alberta next month, electoral reform activists are stuffing the ballot with names, hoping for change.
“Perhaps a citizens’ assembly on electoral reform, essentially having a third party that is separate from the government. Not a lapdog, we have a lot of watchdogs in our system,” said Donovan Eckstrom, with the longest ballot initiative.
Eckstrom is one of the organizers behind the longest ballot initiative, and is one of the hundred names on the ballot for the federal byelection in Alberta in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, where federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is vying for a seat in the House of Commons.
The longest ballot doing the same stunt in the April federal election, in Poilievre’s riding to call attention to electoral reform in Canada, but Eckstrom says the group is non-partisan. Choosing to focus on this byelection in the considered safe Conservative riding because of the national attention.
“Our goal was to actually run within the Liberal leader’s riding. We assumed Freeland was going to win, and the Carney won, and there was not a lot of time to switch everything over,” Eckstrom explained.
With voters in Battle River-Crowfoot heading to the polls next month, Poilievre has spoken out against the initiative publicly. CityNews reached out to the federal Conservative Party, but has not heard back at this time.
The federal Liberal Party told CityNews through a statement that every Canadian has the right to put their name on the ballot.
The federal New Democrats also did not respond to CityNews’ request for comment.
With over 100 names, the longest ballot initiative literally makes the longest ballot for voters at the polls.
While Eckstrom says he doesn’t think that will cause confusion for voters, Elections Canada says through a statement they’ll be looking at ways to simplify things for voters a head of the byelection.
The byelection happens August 18th
