Alberta referendum advance voting opens today; separation question to be counted first

Full report

Advance voting runs October 13 to 17, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Time daily, with more than 300 advance polling stations across the province, focused on Edmonton and Calgary. Elections Alberta has received about 650,000 mail and special ballot applications, far above the 59,000 in the 2023 provincial election; more than 44,000 workers have been hired, and turnout is expected to reach 80% to 85%, potentially a record.

Voters will decide 10 separate questions covering immigration, provincial social programs and constitutional arrangements. Question 10 concerns separation: voters choose between "Alberta remaining a province of Canada" and "directing the provincial government to begin the legal process toward a binding separation referendum." Elections Alberta has ruled the October 19 referendum itself non-binding. All ballots will be hand-counted (tabulators banned since 2024), with the separation question counted first.

Prime Minister Carney used a Thanksgiving video on October 12 to urge Albertans to stay in Canada, warning separation would be "a long and uncertain process." A Léger poll of 1,001 Alberta adults on October 8 found 70% support staying in Canada and 22% support starting the process toward a binding referendum.