Post #4148119

2026-07-27 21:58 UTC

My 81-year-old Mom, who's a widow and has no current photo ID was rejected today when we tried to get her a photo ID card. She's been living in Alberta since 1978 and has no current passport. She had her birth certificate but because she changed her last name when she got married in 1964, they could not issue her an ID card without her marriage certificate. We did not know where she may have stashed her marriage certificate since she moved into a senior's residence three years ago and had to downsize a lot of her things. These new rules are going to disenfranchise a lot of people hoping to vote in the referendum. We need to get the word out. If you are contacting another province for birth or marriage certificates, that will take time. Luckily for my mom, after searching through an old trunk with multiple albums and brown envelopes, we found the original marriage certificate. We'll be back at the registry in a couple of weeks to try and get that ID card. This UDP government is pure evil. #ableg #cdnpoli

Replies (7)

@TrueNorthSpice@mastodon.world 2026-07-27 22:06

@JEmphatically@mstdn.ca The rules are the same in Ontario, have been for a long time. It's stupid and annoying and another reason to keep one's surname after marrying ..unfortunately when your mom was married it was unheard of to keep one's maiden name.

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@n_dimension@infosec.exchange 2026-07-27 22:29

@JEmphatically@mstdn.ca System works as intended

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@blogdiva@mastodon.social 2026-07-28 00:33

@JEmphatically@mstdn.ca so they’re playing the #MAGA #GOP playbook?

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@JEmphatically@mstdn.ca 2026-07-27 22:04

UPDATE: It appears Danielle Smith has not yet implemented her own version of the SAVE Act in Alberta. Even Trump hasn't been able to get that legislation passed in the US. Elections Alberta's website confirms that government ID is NOT required to vote. You need two pieces of ID, only one has to have your current address and a photo ID is not required. So the Alberta law on government-issued ID disproportionately impacts women's rights by failing to recognize that women have been changing their names when they get married and will now need proof of marriage before they can get an ID or renew their drivers' licence, but voting rights remain intact. You need a photo ID to access your online healthcare info also. And they don't mention anything about THAT in the fluffy advertising campaign they've launched about the new rules. 🤬

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@Westcoastmaven@mastodon.social 2026-07-28 01:24

@JEmphatically@mstdn.ca I am fortunate because my sister does currently have a BC ID card. However, I dread trying to get her another BC ID card in 2028, when her current ID runs out. How do I get a bed bound senior - who has her faculties but a limited capability to sit for long in a wheelchair - a new ID? I expect a photo will have to be taken in their office. They make it so frickin’ difficult. #DisenfranchingSeniors

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@TrueNorthSpice@mastodon.world 2026-07-27 22:16

@JEmphatically@mstdn.ca addendum to my reply After I moved to Ontario I had to send to BC for a copy of my first marriage certificate in order to get photo ID. Ontario wouldn't accept my BC ID and my divorce papers officially certified by the courts. When you think about it men are still in control of women

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@samk@rssfeed.media 2026-07-27 22:30

@JEmphatically@mstdn.ca ahhhh USA version of democracy. Because voting in Australia is mandatory this type of thing always fails when it hits our high court and our constitution. Everyone has to have an opportunity to vote. Any government that tries to introduce a policy that hinders anyone from achieving that fails no matter what excuse the ‘trying fascism on’ government tries to give.

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