Elections Alberta is under fire again. As Alberta's October 19 referendum approaches, the agency responsible for running it has sent out nearly 300,000 mail-in ballots — and the ballots contain an outdated attestation clause requiring recipients to declare they are unable to attend a regular polling station, complete with a threat of legal penalties for making a false declaration.

Sheila Gunn Reid and Western Standard columnist Cory Morgan discussed the mess on last week's episode of The Gunn Show.

"That one is so easy to correct," Sheila said. "You just look at the copy — is this what we want to put out? And somehow the luminaries at Elections Alberta overlooked it." Elections Alberta's response has been to tell voters to scratch the clause out and proceed anyway.

Morgan said that is not a realistic fix for seniors or others without easy internet access who receive these ballots and have no way of understanding what has changed.

The mail-in blunder arrives on top of Elections Alberta's ongoing failure to investigate Thomas Lukaszuk's Forever Canadian campaign, which has reported $0.00 in contributions despite operating a Unity Bus, two provincial offices, thousands of lawn signs and a free Jann Arden concert.

Sheila noted that she and Morgan both operate referendum third party advertisers and comply with strict weekly financial disclosure requirements.

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"I had these people in the exact same parking lot as me, doing the exact same thing as me, at the exact same time in Lethbridge," she said, "but only one of us had to declare all of our revenue and expenses from that day." Morgan added that Arden's concert likely constitutes a donation in kind — since performing is her profession — and yet no disclosure of her contribution appears anywhere on Elections Alberta's register.

"If you have a biased electoral authority," Morgan said, "you don't have a democracy. They're turning this entire exercise into a gong show."

The conversation turned to the growing chorus of voices calling for an export tax on Alberta's oil — including former premier Jason Kenney, federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis, and former prime minister Jean Chrétien.

Premier Danielle Smith has been unequivocal in her opposition, however.

Morgan said he agrees with her on the economics: the last time Ottawa imposed major export taxes on Alberta oil was the National Energy Program under Pierre Trudeau, and it was a catastrophe. But he acknowledged the political irony. "From the perspective of somebody who wants to see a positive independence vote," he said, "I say go for it — because I can't see something that would add another 10 to 20 per cent to the independence side more quickly."

Both hosts also weighed in on the Business Council of Alberta president Adam Legge, who told the CBC that a positive independence vote would create massive business uncertainty.

Morgan's article for AlbertaFactCheck.com fact check conceded the point technically — yes, change creates uncertainty — while arguing the more important question is the certainty already on offer from Ottawa: blocked pipelines, emissions caps, carbon tax battles, and now the threat of an export tax.

"You're not pointing out a solution," Morgan said. "You're saying maintain the status quo as terrible as it is."