The Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Alberta next month is shaping up to be an interesting race, with a jaw-dropping 209 candidates clogging up the ballot — more than double the previous record of 91.

This chaotic overriding of the ballot is being orchestrated by the Longest Ballot Committee, a group of so-called electoral reform advocates who think flooding ballots with names will force a “citizens’ assembly” to overhaul our voting system.

Former MP Damien Kurek stepped aside to give Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a shot at re-entering Parliament after losing his Carleton seat during the snap election in April.

Instead of a straightforward race, advocates are pulling this stunt, with the Committee pushing for an independent body to control election laws.

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Elections Canada is doing nothing about this until after the nomination deadline, reports the state broadcaster.

Spokesperson Matthew McKenna told the CBC that Elections Canada are “looking at ways to [simplify] things based on recent experiences with elections involving a higher-than-usual number of candidates.”

Last year’s 91-candidate ballots in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun and Carleton caused delays and voter confusion so one can only imagine what 209 candidates (and counting) will do!

Poilievre’s calling it out as a scam:

This is not democracy in action. It is a deliberate attempt to manipulate the rules, confuse voters, and undermine confidence in our elections.

These aren’t real candidates. They aren’t campaigning. They aren’t engaging with constituents. This is a coordinated scheme to weaponize the ballot and disrupt our democratic process.

The Longest Ballot Committee’s antics make a mockery of Canadian elections. Voters deserve better than a metre-long ballot and a headache as they hit the polls on August 18.