Alberta voter privacy rules tighten after 3 million names breached
The province temporarily restricts what political parties can access from voter lists, pending new legislation this fall.
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Alberta made emergency changes Thursday to how voter information reaches political parties, stripping personal details from the lists after a separatist group published nearly 3 million Albertans' names, addresses and phone numbers earlier this year.
Copies of the official voter list will now contain only the count of voters in each area and municipality — not first and last names, home addresses, phone numbers, or unique voter identifiers. The temporary policy stays in effect through the end of 2026. Justice Minister Mickey Amery's office said the government will introduce legislation this fall to address the breach permanently.
Investigators traced the leaked database to a copy distributed to the Pro-independence Republican Party of Alberta, a fringe political group. The Centurion Project, identified as the separatist group behind the leak, published the searchable database in spring. A judge ordered the group to take the website down in April.
The change comes roughly three years after the scheduled February 2023 lecture by Frances Widdowson — a separate controversy — and ahead of the October 19 referendum on separation. The voter lists are routinely distributed to political parties, legislators, candidates and constituency associations for campaigns and fundraising.
"Albertans must have confidence that their personal information is being protected," Amery's office said in a statement. "We take the privacy and security of Albertans' information very seriously, and protecting that information remains our top priority."
Opposition NDP members have raised concerns that the temporary restriction could create openings for voter fraud during next month's referendum, though the government said the policy protects personal data.
What specific legislative changes does the government plan, and will they extend privacy protections to political parties more broadly?
Has Elections Alberta identified how the Republican Party of Alberta obtained the voter list, and were any party officials charged?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
How many Albertans' names were exposed in the breach?
Nearly 3 million Albertans' names, addresses, and phone numbers were published by the Centurion Project, a separatist group, earlier in 2026.
What information will voter lists now contain?
Voter lists distributed to political parties will contain only the count of voters in each area and municipality, excluding names, addresses, phone numbers, and voter identifiers.
When does the temporary restriction on voter information expire?
The temporary policy restricting voter list details remains in effect through the end of 2026, after which the government plans to introduce permanent legislation.
