Election officials in Alberta forecast that the final results of the province’s referendum, which will determine its future within Canada, are expected to be available in the early hours following the voting day. During a press briefing in Edmonton, Elections Alberta officials disclosed that while the initial count will focus on a separatism-related question, the complete tally by thousands of counters may not be concluded until between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time the next day.
Recent polling conducted by the agency unveiled that approximately four out of five eligible voters express their intention to participate in the referendum scheduled for October 19. This referendum will entail voters responding to a series of 10 questions, marking a novel undertaking not only in Alberta but also unprecedented across Canada, as highlighted by Dallas Stoesz, the deputy chief electoral officer for Elections Alberta.
In preparation for the referendum, Elections Alberta plans to print around 45 million color-coded and numbered ballots and aims to recruit 60,000 election workers to comply with the legal requirement of manually counting the ballots within a 48-hour timeframe. The first five questions in the referendum pertain to immigration matters, provincial funding for public services for newcomers, along with issues concerning federal and provincial jurisdiction and Alberta’s association with Ottawa.
Regarding the timeline for result disclosure, Elections Alberta officials explained that the counting sequence will start with Question 10 ballots, followed by questions 1, 2, 3, and so forth in numerical order. Special ballots and advanced poll votes will be tallied by counting teams from 5 p.m. on referendum day, with hopes for earlier availability of those results. After the closure of polling stations at 8 p.m. local time, workers will commence counting, providing real-time updates as results are obtained, with smaller precincts possibly reporting earlier.
Furthermore, Elections Alberta anticipates having the full count of Question 10 votes between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on October 20, with unofficial results for questions 1 through 9 expected by the morning of October 21. The regulations mandate Elections Alberta to release all unofficial results by 8 p.m. local time on October 21, with no specified penalties for potential delays in meeting this deadline.
In terms of the voting process on referendum day, Elections Alberta’s simulations suggest that allocating each referendum question on a separate paper enhances efficiency and accuracy. Voters are estimated to take approximately two to five minutes to mark their ballots based on familiarity with the questions and may deposit their completed ballots into designated color-coded and numbered boxes. Additionally, voters are advised to expedite the voting process by preparing their identification and ‘where to vote’ card in advance.
For individuals seeking alternatives to voting on referendum day, over 290,000 electors have already requested special ballots from Elections Alberta. Electors can apply for a mail-in option by September 25 and track their special ballot status online. Alternatively, voters can visit advanced polls in their electoral district between October 13 and October 17, with detailed information on poll locations to be provided by Elections Alberta.
