Alberta referendum set for Oct. 19 with 10 questions on the ballot

By Your Southwest Media Group

Albertans will vote on 10 separate questions in a province-wide referendum Oct. 19, including whether the province should start the legal process toward a vote on separating from Canada.

Elections Alberta released the details May 29.

Each question gets its own colour-coded, numbered ballot. Voters receive all 10 at once in a set order. Question 10, the separation question, comes first. After marking their ballots, voters drop each one into a separate box for that question. Elections Alberta expects about 34 million ballots in total.

Question 10 asks whether Alberta should remain a province in Canada, or whether the provincial government should begin the constitutional process required to hold a binding referendum on separation.

Counting follows the same order, so Question 10 is counted first at each location. Hand-count results go to returning officers and post to the Elections Alberta website by voting area and electoral division as they arrive. Unofficial results must be reported within 48 hours of the close of voting.

Voting works much like a provincial general election. Options include advance voting, election day voting and special ballots by mail. Special ballot applications open in late July.

To vote you must be a Canadian citizen, ordinarily resident in Alberta and 18 or older. Expatriates and people who have moved away are not eligible. Students studying outside Alberta can vote if they intend to return home. You must vote in your own electoral division or by special ballot.

Voters need ID. They can show one piece of government-issued photo ID with their full name, current address and photo. They can also show two pieces of ID with their full name, one of which shows a current address. A signed attestation form works in specific cases. More than 50 forms of ID are accepted. Residents of supportive living, long-term care, shelters or community support centres can vote at a mobile station and do not need ID if a facility official confirms they live or receive services there.

Elections Alberta expects to need 60,000 or more people to work the referendum. Recruitment for returning office staff is underway, and election officer recruitment starts June 8. Positions are paid and generally open to those 16 or older who can work in Canada, meet the requirements and pass a criminal record check. Some roles require workers to be 18 or older. Officers train, sign an oath and must avoid political activity while employed.

The referendum period is in effect. Third-party advertising rules took effect March 31 for the yes or no sides of Questions 1 through 9, and May 28 for Question 10. Registered third-party advertisers must file weekly financial reports, posted each Friday at efpublic.elections.ab.ca. The rules do not apply to registered parties, constituency associations or MLAs.

Elections Alberta has also launched an election integrity section on its website covering electoral law, misinformation and new rules banning deepfakes.

More information will follow. Details are at the Elections Alberta website.