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Alberta referendum voting day: 10 questions, separation question counted first
Alberta's historic referendum reaches its final voting day today, Oct. 19, with polls open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Time. Voters answer 10 questions on separate numbered ballots — Questions 1-9 are yes/no on immigration, eligibility for provincially funded programs, proof of citizenship for voting and constitutional changes; Question 10 is a choice between remaining a province of Canada or starting the legal process toward a binding separation referendum, and it will be counted first. Advance voting (Oct. 13-17) has ended and mail-in ballots closed Oct. 16; Elections Alberta expects 80%-85% turnout. Final pre-vote polls put "remain" at roughly 70%.
Why it matters
Alberta's historic referendum reaches its final voting day today. Voters will answer 10 referendum questions at their assigned polling places (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Time), covering immigration control, eligibility for provincially funded services, proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting and constitutional reform. The most closely watched item, Question 10, asks whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding referendum on separation. Elections Alberta says Question 10 will be counted first.
What voters need to know
Today is the last chance to vote, and each voter must go to the polling place assigned to their electoral division (look it up at map.elections.ab.ca) with government photo ID showing name and current address, or two pieces of ID with a name, one showing an address; Elections Alberta accepts more than 50 forms of ID. Advance voting ran Oct. 13-17 at about 310 polling stations, and mail-in ballots had to reach Elections Alberta by 5 p.m. on Oct. 16; the agency says about 391,000 completed special ballots were returned. Each question has its own numbered ballot, and voters may decline any question.
Polls and results timeline
Turnout is expected to set a record: nearly 175,000 people voted on the first day of advance polls, and Elections Alberta projects 80%-85% overall turnout, far above the roughly 55% average of the last five provincial elections. Final pre-vote polling (The Writ tracker, updated Oct. 17) put "remain in Canada" at 68% against 26% for starting the separation process (72%-28% excluding undecideds); a Leger poll of 1,001 adults Oct. 2-4 found 70% to 22%. The results are non-binding under Order in Council 160/2026. Unofficial results will be released live at results.elections.ab.ca within 48 hours of polls closing at 8 p.m. on Oct. 19, with official results announced Oct. 29.
Sources
Elections Alberta (elections.ab.ca) official referendum schedule and count plan; SpikeToday voting guide (updated Oct. 17); Govtschemes pre-vote polling roundup; The Orbit Post and Hermes Vector citing Elections Alberta data.
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