More than 225,000 Albertans have requested mail-in ballots for the province’s Oct. 19 referendum, including voters who openly admit they applied simply to avoid standing in line.

CBC News interviewed two Edmonton voters who said they requested special ballots because they expected long lineups on referendum day.

But mail-in ballots were created for people who could not reasonably vote in person, including those travelling, working away from home, hospitalized or living with mobility challenges. They were never intended as a skip-the-line service for voters who simply find voting in person inconvenient.

That distinction became clear when Elections Alberta sent out ballot packages containing a declaration requiring recipients to confirm they could not vote at an advance poll or on referendum day.

The declaration also warned that lying on the form could result in a fine of up to $50,000, two years in jail or both.

Some recipients complained the declaration made them anxious. Elections Alberta subsequently blamed the wording on “carryover language” from an earlier version of the Election Act.

The law has since been changed, meaning Albertans no longer need to provide a reason for requesting a special ballot. Elections Alberta says recipients may cross out the line stating they are unable to vote in person, complete the rest of the declaration and return the package.

That makes the mail-in ballots legally valid, but it does not change their original purpose.

The 225,000 requests are nearly four times the 59,589 special ballots requested during Alberta’s 2023 provincial election. That enormous increase has turned a voting accommodation for those who need it into a mass convenience-voting system.

Albertans will have advance-voting opportunities before the referendum, along with polling stations on Oct. 19. Mail-in ballots should be available for those who genuinely cannot get to the polls, not merely for those who cannot be bothered to go.