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Alberta Legislature (Image Credit: Dreamstime)
By Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
Provincial Politics

Nearly 175K referendum votes cast on first day of advance polling; Elections Alberta

Oct 14, 2026 | 3:23 PM

The first day of advance voting is in the books in Alberta’s separation referendum and the numbers suggest voter interest remains very high.

Elections Alberta says close to 175,000 voters trekked to the polls on the first day of advance voting on Tuesday, with the official polling day set for Monday.

A spokesperson for the agency says that’s higher than the daily average of nearly 152,000 people seen during the advance voting period in the 2023 provincial election.

Michelle Gurney says a few polling stations stayed open late to accommodate the people in line, including one that was open until 11 p.m., three hours after it was supposed to close.

Elections Alberta has said it’s expecting record voter turnout for Premier Danielle Smith’s 10-question referendum, which includes one on whether the province should hold a second, binding vote on separating from Canada.

The province saw unprecedented interest in mail-in ballot requests last month, and the agency says two-thirds of the roughly 658,000 special ballots requested have now been returned.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.

by Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press