In a stunning mid-election move, Alberta Tory leader Ed Stelmach has appointed former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris as Alberta's new Chief Returning Officer.
Stelmach, who has also appointed a number of PC-affiliated, but completely unbiased, local Returning Officers (including PC Constituency Officials and failed PC nomination candidates) declared that this move was part of his party's plan for change that works for Albertans.
Faced with criticism, Stelmach was quick hit to hit back: "there are many people that I know... that are in Alberta... met over the years... so are you saying anyone that anybody I shook a hand with the optics are that they can't ever serve as a deputy returning officer?"
As Republican Secretary of State for the State of Florida, Harris presided over the 2000 US presidential election in that state. Though there were allegations of conflicts of interest and partisan, unethical behavior by Harris during the 2000 campaign, they were mostly leveled by know-it-all liberal-types who didn't support Republican Presidential candidate George W. Bush in the first place. A year before the 2000 election, Harris had been named as Bush's Florida campaign co-chair, a position that did not create a bias during the election. The 2000 US Presidential Election in Florida went off without a hitch.
With half of current Returning Officers appointed by Stelmach having strong connections to the 37-year-old Progressive Conservative government, it is only fair that a completely unbiased individual with a clear record of unbiased and fair involvement in elections, such as Katherine Harris, help make sure that Alberta's elections turn out the way they should.
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Good gravy; do these guys have no sense of right and wrong and the importance of a non-partisan bureaucracy? My experience as a government worker screams no, but this is just so blatant.
ReplyDeleteBob in Edmonton
Amen... good to see Ed getting it right. The right outcome is more important than a fair and democratic process.
ReplyDeleteKatherine Harris - wingnut. Wasn't she the Sec of State at the time of the Bush/Gore count problem? You know, the election Gore really won and Bush won by cheating.
ReplyDeleteKatherine Harris is the director of elections operations and communications with Elections Alberta. Just double-checked this with Elections Alberta.
ReplyDeleteWhat's next? Dubya running for the Alberta Cons next provincial election? He can't run again for the US presidency, and he's no longer welcome in Texas, so why not the next oil state?
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous. Of all the people in the world to choose from, this woman was the best one to aid in an unbiased election process? This almost seems like some sort of bad joke.
ReplyDeleteCalgary Liberal supporter
I think it's a joke guys...
ReplyDeleteIt is a joke--Dave's showing hise sense of humour is sharp as ever.
ReplyDeleteToooooo funny.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, love that people thought that was real. Just goes to show you the sad sorry state of politics in Alberta when this could almost be true.
ReplyDeleteNice one Dave.
Haha. Now if he said Harper had appointed her over the whole country, I would believe it.
ReplyDelete