Gov’t of Alberta issues backgrounder on Oct. 19 referendum questions

Ballots and Questions There will be ten questions in the referendum. Each question will be on a separate colour-coded and numbered ballot. Electors will receive their ballots in the order set out on Elections Alberta’s website. This means Question 10, “Should Alberta remain a province in Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”, will be provided to electors first. Electors will be given all ballots at the same time, in an ordered stack. Once they have filled in their ballots, electors will deposit them into separate, colour-coded ballot boxes assigned to each question. Elections Alberta anticipates there will be approximately 34 million ballots used.

Unofficial Results Reporting Ballots will be counted and results reported in the order set out on Elections Alberta’s website. This means Question 10 will be counted first at each voting location and station. Results will be published on Elections Alberta’s website by voting area and electoral division as they are received from Returning Officers. Once a counting team completes the hand count for a question, they will submit their results to the Returning Officer for reporting and then begin to count the next question in sequence. This will continue until all ballots are counted. As set out in the Referendum (General) Regulation, unofficial results must be reported within 48 hours of the close of voting.

Voting in the Referendum Voting in the referendum will be similar to voting in a provincial general election. Electors will be able to choose from multiple voting opportunities, including advance voting, Election Day voting, and special ballots (voting by mail). Special ballots are available for electors who may be away during in-person voting. Applications for special ballots will open in late July, and Elections Alberta will send out more information at that time.

To vote in the referendum, you must be a Canadian citizen, ordinarily resident in Alberta, and 18 years of age or older. Ex-pats and individuals who have moved from Alberta are not eligible to vote. Students studying outside of Alberta are eligible to vote, providing they intend to return home to Alberta. You must vote in your electoral division, or vote by special ballot. Learn more at Who Can Vote.

You will be required to show ID to vote in the referendum except in the circumstances noted below, so now is a good time to ensure you have accepted ID. You may use:

one piece of government-issued photo ID with you full name, current residential address, and photo or
two pieces of ID which have your full name and at least one of which shows your current physical address, or
have a signed attestation form (for specific elector circumstances only).
Electors who reside at a supportive living facility, long-term care facility or a shelter, or who receive support or services from a community support centre may also vote at a mobile voting station established for that facility. These electors are acknowledged by an official of the facility to be resident or receiving services and are not required to show any identification. They are deemed resident in the electoral division in which the facility is located. See Mobile Voting for more information on this voting option.

There are more than 50 forms of accepted ID. Learn more at ID Required to Vote.

Working the Referendum Given a very high anticipated voter turnout, Elections Alberta anticipates requiring 60,000 or more Albertans to work as election officers to facilitate the vote and the count. Recruitment for staff in Returning Offices across Alberta is well underway and election officer recruitment will begin June 8, 2026. All positions are paid, and generally open to individuals who are 16 years of age or older (some positions require you to be 18+), eligible to work in Canada, meet the position requirements, and pass a Criminal Records Check. Election officers complete comprehensive training, and are required to both sign an oath and refrain from any political activity during the course of their employment. Available positions will be posted on the Elections Alberta job webpage. Elections officers are critical to successfully delivering this important event, and we are counting on Albertans to step forward in service.

Campaigning and Advertising Alberta is in a referendum period and referendum third party advertising legislation is in effect, beginning March 31, 2026, for supporting either the Yes or No side of Questions 1 through 9, and as of May 28, 2026, for supporting one of the options in Question 10. The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act requires political participants to follow rules around referendum advertising and financial contributions and disclosure. They are required to file weekly reports, and those reports will be published every Friday on our public disclosure website at efpublic.elections.ab.ca. For more information on these responsibilities and requirements to register as a third party advertiser, please see Referendum TPAs. Note: The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act does not apply to a registered party, constituency association, or MLA for a referendum.

Election Integrity Elections Alberta is administering fair, secure, transparent, and independent elections and referendums so voters trust both the process and the results. Today, we launched the new Election Integrity section of our website to assist voters in separating fact from fiction, understanding electoral processes and laws, and identifying misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. It also explains new legislation prohibiting deepfakes. It is up to all Albertans to ensure misinformation and disinformation does not spread and negatively impact our electoral processes.

More information will follow in the coming weeks and months. Visit our website to learn more about Referendum 2026 and follow Elections Alberta on social media for updates.

by Pattison Media news staff

Gov’t of Alberta issues backgrounder on Oct. 19 referendum questions

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