Referendum Advance Voting Now Open

October 13, 2026

EDMONTON – Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer, Gordon McClure, confirms Advance Vote locations for the provincial referendum are now open across Alberta. Advance voting is available from Tuesday, October 13 to Saturday, October 17, 2026. The final day to vote in the referendum is October 19, 2026 (Election Day).

Advance Voting Locations and Times

During advance voting, electors can vote at any advance voting location in their electoral division. On October 19, Election Day, electors must vote at their assigned voting location in their electoral division. Electors cannot vote outside their electoral division.

Electors may find their advance voting locations and assigned Election Day voting location on their Where to Vote card, which was mailed to registered electors, on Election Alberta’s website under Where Do I Vote, or using our online Where to Vote tool at https://map.elections.ab.ca.

Several rural areas will have voting location information published in their local newspapers, and specific communities such as First Nations and Métis Settlements will have posted local information where applicable.

Voters may also contact Elections Alberta at 1-877-422-VOTE (8683) or their local returning office for assistance in finding their advance and Election Day voting locations.

Electors who are in line at the close of voting each day will be allowed to vote.

What to bring and not bring to vote

Bring your accepted identification and ensure you are voting at the correct location. Your Where to Vote card is not required to vote (and cannot be used as ID), but it will speed up the voting process by helping election officers determine your correct voting area.

DO NOT bring unsubmitted or unused special ballot packages or ballots – they cannot be accepted for in-person voting or accepted for disposal. If you decide to not use your special ballot package, dispose of it at home the way you would any confidential mail that contains your personal information, such as by shredding. Smart glasses and recording devices may not be used in voting or counting locations. You may use your mobile phone to text or access applications, but you are not permitted to record, take photographs, watch or listen to content with sound, or take phone calls. Devices must be on silent or headphones/earbuds must be used so as to not disturb other voters or disrupt the voting process.

Voting reminders

Elections Alberta strongly encourages voters take the following steps to ensure a smooth in-person voting experience:

• Read the referendum questions in advance and decide how you wish to vote.
• Ensure you are eligible to vote and have accepted identification with you when you go to vote.

Ensure you are voting at the correct voting location in your electoral division, as indicated on your Where to Vote card or Elections Alberta’s online Where to Vote tool.

Time off work to vote

The Election Act requires employers to provide employees with time off to vote.

• Electors should have three consecutive, non-work hours to vote during one of the days of advance voting or on Election Day.
• If an elector’s work schedule does not allow for the three consecutive hours, the employer must provide extra time off. The employer retains the right to determine when to give the employee time off, whether it is on any of the days of advance voting or on Election Day.
• When the extra hours are provided by the employer, the time given must be paid, and no penalty may be imposed on the employee for taking time off to vote.
• The extra time off is for voting purposes only.

NOTE: Electors who have already voted (such as by special ballot) are not eligible for extra time off on an advance voting day or on Election Day.

Voting process

Electors will check in at a registration table. If they are not registered to vote, they will be directed to complete a declaration of eligibility and provide their accepted identification (see below for more information). If they are registered to vote, their name will be struck off the voters list.

Voters will be provided ten colour-coded ballots each with a referendum question on it. If they do not wish to receive all ten ballots, they may decline and those will be put into declined ballot folders. They will then go behind a voting screen to mark their ballots. Once they have marked their ballots, they will deposit them into the ten corresponding ballot boxes for each question. A Ballot Box Clerk will be available to assist if needed.

Accessible voting assistance is available. Voters may bring assistive tools or a friend or family member to assist them with reading or marking their ballots. All people providing this assistance must take an oath. Curbside voting is also available for electors who are unable to enter a voting place due to disability. Please have the person providing your transportation notify the Site Supervisor in the voting place if you require this assistance.

Voter Eligibility

Canadian citizens who are at least 18 years or older on October 19 are eligible to vote if they are an ordinary resident of Alberta.

More information is available at elections.ab.ca/voters/who-can-vote.

Voter Registration

When they go to vote, electors can register to vote at advance voting locations in their electoral division or at their assigned voting place on October 19 if they are not already registered to vote. If eligible electors have already registered or voted in previous provincial elections and have not moved, changed their name, or requested removal from the List of Electors, they are already registered to vote and do not need to do anything further.

Electors who have questions or need assistance may contact our Service Centre at 1-877-422-VOTE (8683), open from 8:15am-8:00pm weekdays, 8:15am-6:00pm weekends, and 8:15am-8:00pm on voting days.

Voter Identification

To vote in the referendum, electors must prove their identity and current physical address. There are more than 50 ways to do this, including:

• Providing one piece of Government-issued photo ID, including the voter’s full name, current physical address, and a photo.
  • Driver’s license and identification cards containing only a mailing address (e.g., PO Box) are accepted if you are registered to vote at your current physical address. If you are not registered to vote, you will need additional ID that includes your current physical address.
• Providing two pieces of ID, both containing the voter’s full name and one showing their current physical address (e.g., a utility bill, etc.).
• Having an authorized signatory complete an attestation form available in specific circumstances.
• Where to Vote cards cannot be used as an accepted form of identification.

Voters may visit elections.ab.ca/voters/id-required-to-vote for a full list of accepted identification.

Important referendum dates

• Tuesday, October 13 ­– Advance voting begins. Locations and hours can be found on our website under Where Do I Vote or directly through https://map.elections.ab.ca.
• Saturday, October 17 – Last day of advance voting.
• Monday, October 19 – Last day to vote in the referendum. Your assigned voting place can be found on our website under Where Do I Vote or directly through https://map.elections.ab.ca. All voting locations on Election Day will be open from 9:00am to 8:00pm.
• Unofficial results will be available on Elections Alberta’s website within 48 hours of close of voting locations on October 19.
• Official results will be announced on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

Unofficial results

The Referendum (General) Regulation requires counts to be completed and unofficial results published within 48 hours of the confirmed close of all voting locations on October 19, 2026.

Closing of voting locations is scheduled for 8:00pm on October 19, however, they may remain open longer if there are lines or if a location opened later than planned.

The results website cannot be published until all voting locations in the province are confirmed closed.

Unofficial results will begin to be released once the reporting site goes live at close of voting at https://results.elections.ab.ca/. Results will be reported live in real time as counts are completed and returning offices confirm and enter them in the system. Question 10 will be counted first, followed by Questions 1 to 9, in order.

Results will be displayed as Election Day (by voting location and voting area), Advance vote (by advance voting location), Mobile vote, and special ballots.

The count timelines will depend on voting location closing times and voter turnout.

Referendum advertising

Referendum advertising is not permitted on designated voting location property.

Media visits to voting places

For the referendum, Elections Alberta cannot accommodate media inside voting locations. This is due to the anticipated turnout and resulting difficulty in obtaining permission to film from all individuals inside a voting place. Elections Alberta does not want to do anything that will slow down the vote; and stopping to secure the consent of every person in the voting location will do that.

Media may still film outside of voting locations.

Elections Alberta is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections, and referendums.

For public enquiries, please contact:
Service Centre (during the referendum)
Phone: 1-866-422-VOTE (8683)

Elections Alberta
Phone:  780.427.7191
Email: [email protected]

For media inquiries, please contact:
Maia Hanrahan
Media Relations
Phone: 403.431.5974
Email: [email protected]

Posted in: Press Releases