Referendum advance voting and special ballot voter turnout

October 18, 2026

EDMONTON – Preliminary voter turnout figures are now available for the referendum advance vote held Tuesday, October 13 to Saturday, October 17 and special ballot voting.

The following table provides advance voting and special ballot voter turnout for the referendum, as well as the comparative numbers from the 2023 Provincial General Election.

*Special ballot totals from 2023 are not directly comparable to the referendum, as they were not available to all eligible electors and were not required to be received by mail.

Monday, October 19 is Election Day

Voting locations will be open from 9:00am to 8:00pm.  Every elector is assigned a voting location based on their ordinary place of residence. On Election Day, electors may only vote at their assigned voting location.

Electors who did not already vote during advance voting or by special ballot can find their assigned Election Day voting location by:

• checking the Where-to-Vote card mailed to their residence,
• visiting map.elections.ab.ca,
• visiting elections.ab.ca (click on “Where Do I Vote?”), or
• contacting Elections Alberta at 1.877.422.VOTE (8683) for assistance.

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 decided 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, including phones, 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 in a voting place. 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.
• Where to Vote cards cannot be used as accepted identification.
• Ensure you are voting at the correct voting location in your electoral division, as indicated on your Where to Vote card or using the Where to Vote tool.

Voting process

Upon arrival, 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 one referendum question per ballot. 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.

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 https://www.elections.ab.ca/voters/who-can-vote/.

Voter Registration

Electors can register 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 on October 19.

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.).
• Where to Vote Cards are NOT accepted as identification.
• Having an authorized signatory complete an attestation form available in specific circumstances.

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

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 by special ballot or in advance voting are not eligible for extra time off on Election Day.

Unofficial results

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

Close 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 by question, by electoral division, by voting option.

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: 1.877.422.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: General