Candidates off and running in MAA elections

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The gates are open and they're off and running to win leadership positions in the Metis Association of Alberta.

It's a ritual that takes place every three years.

The main prize is three years in the president's seat with some $60,000 a year plus expenses to go along with it. Tallies up that's about $200,000.

That's the main story. But behind the scenes the MAA's chief electoral officer and her helpers are making sure the race is fair and run properly.

Joey Hamelin said her office is an independent, stand-alone organization.

"Our rule is to conduct a fair and impartial election," she said, underlining it's "separate from the MAA."

Along with an estimated 150 workers Hamelin will run the election with an advanced poll on Aug. 25 and the main election on Sept. 4.

The MAA's elections are "more complex" than any municipal, provincial or federal election, she said. A three ballot system will be used, one each for president, vice-president and director.

Alberta is split into six zones.

Hamelin also watches over the membership list. If a voter has a card and is not on the membership list, he must be vouched for by two members who are on the list and have already voted.

To get on the voter's list, membership information had to be submitted to Hamelin's office by August 13, said Beatrice Mathias of the electoral office. Members have to join locals, who will further submit their lists to the electoral office.

Members can, however, buy membership cards right up until election day, but they will have to be vouched for.

With a complicated system like this, one can expect the election workers to huff and puff once in a while especially when the MAA's last election recorded almost 2,700 voters.

Some of the voting stations are very busy, like in Edmonton's inner-city. The last one was at the old friendship center. Both sides of the gymnasium were lined with polling stations from city locals and the place was a buzz with polling people, voters and scrutineers.

To make the election more interesting, eight people are running for the presidency - Lester Howse, Dorothy Daniels, Joe Blyan, incumbent Larry Desmeules, Jeanette Calahasen, Fred House, Sam Sinclair and Dan Martel.

A couple are somewhat new faces like Howse and Calahasen. Others are not so new, like Daniels and Martel. Others yet are old political warhorses like Blyan, House and Sinclair. And in any political scrap the incumbent always has a decent kick at the can.

The sheer numbers makes I mathematically interesting. With eight people running, a candidate could get in with as low as 14 per cent of the vote in the tightest of races. If the vote count were similar to the last election - about 2,700 - the winner could get in with less than 400 votes.

There are also an additional 34 candidates running for zone vice-presidencies and directorships.

Hamelin's will be an interesting job indeed.