Overview
- Advance voting began Tuesday, Oct. 13, with more than 300 advance polls open across the province and a large surge in special‑ballot requests that Elections Alberta says is far above recent elections.
- Elections Alberta confirmed all ballots will be counted by hand after the 2024 ban on tabulators and that counting will begin with Question 10 on separation, with results required within 48 hours after polls close on Oct. 19.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday urged Albertans to stay in Canada, warning that pursuing separation would start a “long and uncertain process,” and federal and provincial politicians have been holding public events to press that case.
- Premier Danielle Smith says she supports remaining in Canada but frames the nine other questions on immigration and constitutional powers as a mandate to gain leverage in negotiations with Ottawa if voters back them.
- Final‑week campaigning features cross‑party unity rallies and pro‑separation gatherings, a widespread volunteer drive to mobilize voters, and a major recruitment effort by Elections Alberta to staff hand counts and polling sites ahead of Oct. 19.