Overview
- Elections Alberta announced Thursday that it will report results for the separation question first, with those results expected early on Oct. 20 and the nine other referendum questions to follow the next day.
- Applications for special mail‑in ballots have jumped to about 290,000 and the agency moved the application deadline up to Sept. 25 to give time for delivery and returns.
- Some voters have received incomplete ballot packages or declaration forms that use outdated attestation wording; Elections Alberta told recipients to contact the agency, said voters may cross out the old line, and pledged corrected mailings going forward.
- The referendum will be hand‑counted across Alberta’s 87 electoral divisions under a continuous 48‑hour count that Elections Alberta says will require about 60,000 workers and round‑the‑clock shifts.
- The NDP has demanded Elections Alberta re‑mail corrected forms and blamed repeated election‑law changes and underfunding for operational confusion, a dispute that raises questions about transparency and voter access ahead of the Oct. 19 vote.