Alberta referendum: 174,532 vote on first advance day

A total of 174,532 people voted on the first day of advance polling in Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum, Elections Alberta said, a turnout above the agency’s usual daily average for advance voting in provincial elections.

The agency said the average advance voting day in previous provincial elections draws about 151,000 voters, according to a Canadian Press report carried by CP24. Tuesday’s total is about 16 per cent above that average. In the 2023 provincial election, Elections Alberta estimated 161,830 people voted on the first day of advance polling, which it said was 16 per cent more than on the first day in 2019.

Advance polls opened Tuesday at 310 stations across the province and run daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Saturday, Oct. 17. Albertans must vote at a station in their own electoral division. Voters will answer 10 questions on separate ballots, covering immigration, constitutional proposals and whether Alberta should remain in Canada.

The count comes with a caveat. Tuesday was only one day, and a first-day surge does not by itself show where the final turnout will land. Elections Alberta’s own comparison is to an average day in provincial elections, a different kind of vote with different campaigns and party machinery behind it.

Not every station opened smoothly. Elections Alberta said technical problems at opening left 17 locations open later than scheduled, by a few minutes to 43 minutes, according to the Canadian Press report. Another 20 stayed open longer because of lineups, and some were open as late as 11 p.m. Anyone in line at closing time can still vote, and the same rule applies on Oct. 19. CTV News also reported that wind-related power outages shut down advance voting at two rural polls.

Clothing became a point of confusion for some voters. Several told reporters they were asked to remove Canadian flag pins and hats. Michelle Gurney of Elections Alberta said clothing that counts as referendum advertising, meaning anything that tells people how to vote, is not allowed. “A Canada pin or something like that. That’s perfectly acceptable,” Gurney said.

Mail-in voting is a second channel running alongside the in-person polls. Gurney said 658,000 special ballots had been requested and 418,000 had been mailed so far. Completed mail-in ballots must be returned by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Elections Alberta had earlier flagged faulty mail-in ballots and apologized for special ballot errors, both covered in earlier Canada News Media reporting, so the pace of delivery is one thing to watch before the deadline.

Premier Danielle Smith said she had voted at an advance poll for Alberta to stay in Canada and urged support for the other nine questions, according to a Canadian Press report.

The stakes reach beyond the province. A vote to remain in Canada would not settle the other nine questions, which cover immigration fees for temporary workers and residents and constitutional proposals that would give Smith a mandate to lobby other premiers, according to earlier reporting. Our guide to how to vote in Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum sets out the ID rules, station rules and when to expect results.

This report is developing. Totals for later advance voting days were not available at the time of writing.

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Via CP24 / The Canadian Press: Alberta referendum: 174,500 people cast ballots on 1st day of advance voting. Turnout also reported by CTV News Calgary and CBC News. Historical figures from Elections Alberta estimates reported by Lethbridge News Now (May 24, 2023).