What colour is your ballot?

Big referendum news today! Each of the ten1 questions will have its own ballot paper. And they’ll be colour coded!!

Just imagine picking up your rainbow package of ballots and taking them into the voting booth. (Oh, wait, isn’t there a diktat against rainbows in Alberta schools now?? So, maybe not a rainbow… )

Elections Alberta has its hands full at the moment, so as a good citizen I’ve done the work to pick out ballot colours that are sure to be approved by the provincial government.

Clearly, the Stay/Leave question needs to be on a Blue (Azure) ballot (Pantone 661 C) - the exact colour of the Alberta flag.

The five immigration-related questions should be printed on ballots reflecting a diversity of shades of white. My suggestions:

• PANTONE 11-0601 TCX — Bright White

• PANTONE 11-4001 TPG — Brilliant White

• PANTONE 11-0602 TCX — Snow White

• PANTONE 11-4800 TCX — Blanc de Blanc

• PANTONE 11-4301 TCX — Lily White

Now the constitutional questions are a bit more complicated to colour code. Here are some thoughts to get the conversation started:

• Question 6 (provinces appoint judges): Maybe the blue of a cloudless Alberta sky, reflecting the clarity of thought that only true Albertan judges could achieve? (PANTONE 14-4318 TCX — Sky Blue)

• Question 7 (abolish the unelected Senate): It’s the red chamber. Enough said. (PANTONE 19‑1762 TCX — Crimson)

• Question 8 (opting out of federal programs without losing funding): Now, this is a tough choice. My first thought was green, for all the money we’d get (PANTONE 362 C). But on second thought, this is really about killing the Canada Health Act, so maybe blood red (PANTONE 7621 C)?

• Question 9 (giving provincial laws priority over federal laws): Maybe a mud grey, to mimic the clarity of the question?2 (PANTONE 18‑0912 TCX)

In the event that Water not Coal makes it onto the ballot, we’ll reserve coal black (PANTONE Black 6 C).

Make a Plan to Vote

Now, with that out of the way, I want to talk to you about something serious, readers: MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE!

I know it’s early. I’ll certainly repeat this once or twice over the next 144 days,3 but you need to make a plan to vote. And it should probably involve voting in at an advance poll, because referendum day has all the makings of a disaster.

Picture yourself standing in the local junior high school gym for an hour or two as the line inches forward. You finally make it up to the front of the line, where you get to listen to negotiations between the poll worker and the voter:

“Which ballots do you want to decline?”

“The one about the Senate.”

“Oh, you mean Question 8?”

“No, I mean Question 7”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure. It’s the red one, dammit!”

“Well, let me check my list. Oh yes, you’re right. It’s #7 you’re declining. Okay, there are your ballots. Now you just have to wait for a booth to be available. It’s taking people a few minutes to fill these all out.”

“Oh, never mind!”

Honestly, I hope I’m wrong. I hope Elections Alberta rises to the challenge. But referendum day has the potential to be its own little disaster cradled in the bigger disaster that is this referendum. So, as soon as the advance polls open, make a plan to vote!