Alberta advance voting opens ahead of October 19 referendum

Advance voting began across Alberta on October 13 ahead of the province’s October 19 referendum, with more than 300 polling locations open and voters facing a 10-question ballot on constitutional issues, immigration and Alberta’s place in Canada. The referendum’s outcome is not yet known, and the vote will not itself take Alberta out of Canada. Advance polls are scheduled to remain open through Saturday, October 17. Eligible voters can cast ballots at locations in their electoral division, while election-day voting on October 19 is restricted to each voter’s assigned location. Mail-ballot requests closed when advance voting began. Elections Alberta reported receiving more than 650,000 mail-ballot requests, equivalent to 20% of registered voters. Spokesperson Michelle Gurney said demand was 11 times the level in the 2023 provincial election, but cautioned that requests do not predict turnout. She said changes to eligibility for special ballots may have contributed to the increase. Gurney said more than 70,000 people had applied to work on the referendum and 46,000 had been hired as of the weekend before advance voting.