Over 1 million ballots cast in Alberta referendum

More than one million ballots had been cast in Alberta’s referendum by Thursday, Oct. 15, according to Elections Alberta figures reported by CTV News Edmonton and Global News, with voting still open until Monday, Oct. 19.

The total counts mail-in special ballots and in-person advance voting. Elections Alberta said advance polls ran Oct. 13 to 17 at 311 locations. CTV reported that more than 518,000 people had voted at advance polls and more than 490,000 special ballots had been processed when the total passed the million mark.

Global News reported that the final count could set a provincial record. Neither outlet gave a comparison with past Alberta votes, and Elections Alberta had not published a final turnout figure as of Saturday morning.

Updated Oct. 17, 2026.

The pace of early voting has been steady since the start. Elections Alberta counted 174,532 ballots on the first day of advance voting, as we reported on Oct. 14.

Mail-in voting was large before advance polls opened. Elections Alberta said that as of Sept. 29 it had processed just over 658,000 special ballot applications. More than 652,000 were approved and sent, and more than 5,700 were rejected. The agency’s figures do not say how many of those mailed ballots had been returned, so the share of mail-in voters who have yet to vote is not known.

The ballot has 10 questions. One asks whether Alberta should leave Canada and, if the answer is yes, would trigger a second, binding referendum on quitting Confederation. Premier Danielle Smith has urged voters to endorse the other nine, which would push for more provincial control over immigration and constitutional changes that shift power away from Ottawa. Prime Minister Mark Carney has urged Albertans to reject those nine proposals. Our explainer on the ballot and our guide on how to vote in the Oct. 19 referendum set out each question and the voting options.

Global News reported that polls suggest a strong majority of Albertans will vote to stay in Canada, though leaders on both sides have warned that voter apathy could change the result. Earlier polling summarized by Canada News Media put separation support at 20 to 26 per cent. Mr. Carney ended a two-day Alberta tour with a rally in Edmonton on Friday, after a Calgary stop where he called a vote to leave a bluff.

High early turnout does not show which side is ahead. Jeff Rath, a lawyer with the pro-independence Alberta Prosperity Project, said last week that he does not believe high turnout favours either side, according to a podcast summary published by Juno News.

Access has also been uneven. Elections Alberta said 17 of 311 advance locations opened late on the first day because of technology problems, and a high-wind power outage closed several advance sites in the Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock district on Oct. 14. Hours were extended to make up the lost time. First Nations leaders have separately criticized changes to polling in Fort Chipewyan.

Advance voting ends Saturday. Election Day voting on Monday is the last chance for anyone who has not voted. Voters can find their polling place and hours through the Elections Alberta “Where Do I Vote?” page.

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Via CTV News Edmonton (1 million votes cast in Alberta’s referendum) and Global News (Carney wraps up pro-Canada barnstorming tour in hometown of Edmonton). Figures on advance locations and special ballot applications are from Elections Alberta news releases.