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Legislation, Bulletins and Guidelines
Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act (in force July 4, 2025, and Bill 14: Justice Statutes Amendment Act, in force December 11, 2025, impacts provincial electoral legislation. This page is being updated to reflect the new legislation, and as such the information below may be outdated.
The Government of Alberta establishes electoral legislation in the province and is the only body that can make changes to legislation. The changes are put forward as bills to the Legislative Assembly and voted on, or through Orders in Council which amend the legislation.
Elections Alberta is responsible for administering provincial electoral legislation and must follow the rules laid out in the legislation. Our office does not write or establish the legislation.
The legislation our office administers includes the Election Act, Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, Referendum Act, Recall Act, Citizen Initiative Act, and the Alberta Senate Election Act.
We also have other specific duties assigned by the Local Authorities Election Act and the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act.
Learn more about each of these Acts, as well as recent changes to them, below.
The Election Act assigns Elections Alberta responsibility for:
Conducting provincial elections, enumerations, by-elections and plebiscites
Maintaining an up-to-date permanent Register of Electors
Investigating complaints of possible breaches of the Act and consenting to prosecution, if warranted
Elections Alberta is responsible for one regulation under the Election Act:
Amendments to the Election Act came into force on July 4, 2025, with Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act, and on December 11, 2025, with Bill 14: Justice Statutes Amendment Act. The amendments will impact how the next election is conducted. The following fact sheets summarize the specific changes:
Ensuring filing, examination, and public disclosure of financial documents submitted by political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership contestants, prospective candidate associations, and third-party advertisers is completed.
Enforcing legislation relating to the collection of contributions by political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership contestants, prospective candidate associations, and third-party advertisers.
Maintaining a register of political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership contestants, prospective candidate associations, and third-party advertisers.
Assisting groups forming new political parties.
Investigating complaints of breaches of the EFCDA and consenting to prosecution (if warranted)
Elections Alberta is responsible for two regulations under the EFCDA:
Amendments to the EFCDA came into force on July 4, 2025, with Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act, and on December 11, 2025, with Bill 14: Justice Statutes Amendment Act. The following fact sheets summarize the specific changes:
The Alberta Senate Election Act (ASEA) assigns Elections Alberta responsibility for overseeing the conduct of senate elections. Senate elections can be held:
With a provincial general election,
with a local authority election, or
at a separate time, following the requirements of the Election Act.
Amendments to the Alberta Senate Election Act came into force on July 4, 2025. The following fact sheet documents those changes:
The Referendum Act sets out the process to conduct constitutional and non-constitutional referendum votes. Referendums can be held:
with a provincial general election,
with a local authority election, or
at a separate time, following the requirements of the Election Act.
Amendments to the Referendum Act came into force on July 4, 2025, with Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act, and on December 11, 2025, with Bill 14: Justice Statutes Amendment Act. The following fact sheets summarize the specific changes:
The Recall Actassigns Elections Alberta responsibility for:
Managing the application, canvassing and signature verification processes for recall petitions for Members of the Legislative Assembly
Conducting a recall vote following a successful recall petition, and
Ensuring filing, examination, and public disclosure of financial documents submitted by authorized participants and third-party advertisers is completed.
Note: Local jurisdictions and school boards are responsible for the process of recall petitions for local elected authorities and school trustees.
Elections Alberta is responsible for one regulation under the Recall Act:
Managing the notice of intent, application, canvassing and verification processes for initiative petitions for legislative proposals, policy proposals, and constitutional referendum proposals.
Conducting an initiative vote where a proposal is referred to Elections Alberta by the Legislative Assembly, and
Ensuring filing, examination, and public disclosure of financial documents submitted by the proponent and third-party advertisers is completed.
Elections Alberta is responsible for one regulation under the Citizen Initiative Act:
Amendments to the Citizen Initiative Act came into force on July 4, 2025, with Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act, and on December 11, 2025, with Bill 14: Justice Statutes Amendment Act. Further amendments were made by Order in Council, approved and ordered December 17, 2025. The following fact sheets summarize the specific changes:
As of May 2024, Elections Alberta is required to provide information from the Register of Electors to support municipalities in creating a Permanent Elector Register. Using the information from Elections Alberta, municipalities are responsible for creating a List of Electors to be used in municipal elections.
As of August 1, 2019, the Election Commissioner will accept and investigate complaints and allegations related to campaign finance and contribution disclosure rules (Part 5.1), and third-party advertising rules (Part 8) contained within the Local Authorities Election Act. Complaints can arise concerning by-elections, term elections, or local general elections.
The enforcement authority of the Election Commissioner related to local authority elections includes all elections held for municipal councillors/mayors, school board trustees, irrigation district board members, and Métis Settlement councillors.
The Electoral Boundaries Commission Act assigns Elections Alberta the responsibility of providing advice, information, and assistance to the Electoral Boundaries Commission established by this Act. The Commission is responsible for reviewing existing electoral division boundaries and for recommending electoral division boundaries to the Legislative Assembly. A Commission must be appointed after every second provincial general election, between 8 and 10 years from the appointment of the last Commission.
The Chief Electoral Officer has provided interpretation bulletins under the Election Act and Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act in the following topic areas:
Guides to help political participants and contributors understand and comply with the rules under the Election finances and Contributions Disclosure Act (EFCDA).
