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Ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum, over 800,000 Albertans have cast their ballots so far

Published Oct 15, 2026  •  Last updated 1 day ago  •  2 minute read

Elections Alberta technical media briefing provided an update on preparations, the voting process, the count, for the Oct. 19 referendum in Alberta. Photos of simulated voting station on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Photo by Shaughn Butts /Postmedia Network

Thousands of Albertans were at the polls in the first two days of advanced voting ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum.

Elections Alberta said on Wednesday, 186,742 voters cast their ballots on top of the 174,532 who voted on Tuesday — the first day of advanced voting. The agency says 454,000 special ballots have been received and processed bringing the total number of votes cast so far to 815,274.

“These calls are delaying Elections Alberta’s response to electors overall,” Elections Alberta said.

In a follow-up press release later Thursday afternoon, Elections Alberta clarified that there is an advance voting location at the Expo Centre, where Forever Canadian is also holding a rally Friday evening.

“Elections Alberta is working alongside EXPO Centre and has already taken steps to mitigate the risk of referendum advertising occurring at the voting place,” the press release said.

“This includes management of the parking area, the entrance to the EXPO Centre used by electors accessing the advance voting place, and physical barriers within the EXPO Centre.”

The voting hours of this advance polling station will remain the same, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Elections Alberta said, noting that Forever Canadian sought guidance to ensure compliance with elections laws.

“At large, multi-location venues such as the EXPO Centre, the entire building is not designated as a voting place,” the press release says. “Section 135(2) of the Election Act states that advertising restrictions apply only to the area designated as a voting place.”

The agency has hired 47,000 workers for the referendum. Due to the number of questions, Albertans are encouraged to read the questions ahead of time to make voting go faster, with long lineups anticipated and previously reported over the last two days.

Albertans have until Oct. 17 to advance vote with referendum day on Oct. 19.

ctran@postmedia.com

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