Referendum

In a referendum, electors are asked to respond to a question, generally with a “yes” or “no” vote, although other questions providing a choice are possible. Referendums are conducted under the Referendum Act and Referendum (General) Regulation and can be regarding constitutional or non-constitutional questions. Alberta has held two previous referendums under this Act.

A referendum has been set for October 19, 2026.

Two Orders in Council for a referendum – O.C. 109/2026 and O.C. 110/2026 – were approved March 31, 2026, and a third Order in Council – O.C. 160/2026 – was approved on May 28, 2026. The Election Act, and Election Act Forms Regulation, apply to the conduct of the referendum.

As of March 31, 2026, Alberta is in a referendum period and legislation governing referendum third party advertising is in effect. For Question 10 (see below), the referendum period began May 28, 2026. The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act (EFCDA) requires political participants to follow rules around referendum advertising and financial contributions and disclosure. For more information on these responsibilities and requirements to register as a third party advertiser, please see Referendum TPAs.

Note: The EFCDA does not apply to a registered party, constituency association, or MLA for a referendum.

More information will be added to the Elections Alberta website as we get closer to October. For more information regarding voting, ID and voter eligibility requirements, and more please see the Voters section of the Elections Alberta website.

Questions on the Ballots

Each question will be on a separate numbered and colour-coded ballot.

Electors will receive their ballots in the order they appear below.

Question 10 is a choice question between two options. Electors will select one choice only. Questions 1-9 are yes/no questions. Electors will mark either “yes” or “no” on their ballots.

As set out in the Orders in Council, the ten referendum questions to be put to the electors are as follows.

O.C. 160/2026 sets out the following question and orders the results of the referendum on this question are not to be binding. Electors will mark an “x” next to the options of their choice on their ballots.

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?

Option 1: Alberta should remain a province in Canada.

Option 2: The Government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.

O.C. 110/2026 sets out the following questions and orders the results of the referendum on these questions are not to be binding. Electors will mark either “yes” or “no” for each question on their ballots.

1. Do you support the Government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?
2. Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta­ approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially-funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?
3. Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially-funded social support programs?
4. Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family’s use of the healthcare and education systems?
5. Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election?

O.C. 109/2026 sets out the following constitutional questions. Electors will mark either “yes” or “no” for each question on their ballots:

6. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts?

7. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate?

8. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education, and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs?

9. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province’s laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province’s laws and federal laws conflict?

The Election Act, and regulations under the Election Act, apply to the conduct of the referendum.

Important: Elections Alberta may not interpret the questions provided by the Government of Alberta above. Any questions about what each question means should be directed to the Government of Alberta or your MLA. You can find your MLA and their contact information by using the Find My MLA application on our website.

Unofficial Results Reporting

Ballots will be counted by hand and results reported in the order above. This means Question 10 will be counted first at each voting location and station. Results will be published on Elections Alberta’s results website as they are received from returning officers. Once a counting station has completed the count for a question, they will move on to count the next question in order.

Scrutineers are permitted for a referendum for each official party and each proponent for a question arising from a successful citizen initiative petition. Appointments must be made in writing to the Chief Electoral Officer no later than 8 weeks before Election Day. Additional scrutineers may be permitted for third party advertisers representing a Yes or No position or choice position on the referendum questions. For more information about referendum scrutineers, please visit Referendum Scrutineers.

The Referendum (General) Regulation requires the unofficial ballot count be completed within the following timelines:

• 12 hours after close of voting if there are 1 or 2 questions,
• 24 hours after close of voting if there are 3 or 4 questions,
• 36 hours after close of voting if there are 5 or 6 questions, and
• 48 hours after close of voting if there are 7 or more questions.