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Student Voting

Students who are Canadian citizens, 18 years of age or older, and residents of Alberta are eligible to vote even if they are living away from home during to their studies.

Students studying in Alberta, as well as any Albertan students studying outside of Alberta, are eligible to vote in a provincial election, must determine their place of ordinary residence according to the following rules. These rules also apply to any spouse, partner, or dependent of a student.

Alberta Students Studying in Alberta

If a student leaves their ordinary residence in Alberta to study at an educational institution elsewhere in Alberta, they may, while pursuing their studies, consider one of the following as their place of ordinary residence:

  1. the place where they resided immediately before commencing their studies or
  2. the place where they are currently residing in Alberta.

This means they may vote in their home electoral division or the electoral division where they are currently residing while studying, but not both.

Alberta Students Studying Outside of Alberta

If a student leaves their ordinary residence in Alberta to study at an educational institution outside of Alberta, they may, while pursuing their studies, maintain ordinary residence in the place where they lived before leaving Alberta. However, if the student does not intend to return to Alberta once they complete their studies, they should register to vote where they are now residing and cease being an elector in Alberta.

This means if a student leaves the province to pursue post-secondary studies, they are eligible to vote in Alberta as long as they intend to return to Alberta. Unless they will be present in Alberta during the voting periods, they can apply for a special ballot to be mailed to them at their out-of-province address.

ID required to Vote – provisions for students studying away from home

To vote, you must prove your identity and current physical address.

To do this, you may:

  • Provide one piece of Government-issued photo ID, including your full name, current address, and photo.
  • Provide two pieces of ID, both containing your full name, and with one showing your current physical address.
  • Have an authorized signatory complete an attestation form.

Your Student ID card and correspondence from an educational institution are accepted as one of the accepted identification options for the two pieces of ID. There are more than 50 other options.

Students living in student residence may also use a Student Living in Residence attestation form, signed by their Student Residence Coordinator or Housing Services Administrative Staff as proof of residency.

Students living in rental accommodations may also use a Tenant Elector attestation form, signed by their Titled Land Owner, Lessor, On-Site Caretaker, or Third-Party Management Administrator as proof of residency.

If you will be voting by special ballot, you will need to mail a copy (NOT the original) of your identification with your special ballot when you send it back. Please note: you must return your special ballot by mail and it must be received by Elections Alberta in Edmonton before 5:00pm the Friday before Election Day. Any special ballots received after this day and time will not be counted.