EDMONTON — Election officials in Alberta said Thursday they’ve seen a surge of interest in people wanting to vote early by mail for next month’s referendum on whether Albertans want to hold a binding separation vote. Elections Alberta also said that, after doing some polling, it’s anticipating a voter turnout of 85 per cent — a figure that would surpass the provincial record of 81.8 per cent seen in the 1935 general election. Dallas Stoesz, the deputy chief electoral officer, told reporters the agency has received about 65,000 more applications for mail ballots since Tuesday, bringing the ongoing tally to 290,000. That figure is almost five times higher than the nearly 60,000 mail-in ballots requested for the province’s 2023 general election. Stoesz said interest is so high for the referendum that the agency has moved up the deadline to apply for the special ballots to Sept. 25, a full two weeks earlier than what was originally planned and advertised. “That is a lot of volume to move,” she said of the mail-in ballots, explaining they need to be printed, sorted, mailed out, received and then, of course, counted. Stoesz said the need to shift the deadline and the logistical challenges of doing so many mail-in ballots was emblematic of the historic nature of the 10-question vote set for Oct. 19. “Not only has Alberta never done anything like this, nowhere in Canada has done anything like this before,” she said. “Yes, we’ve had referendums. Yes, there’s been millions of ballots, but not concentrated like this.” She said another reason the agency changed the application deadline is to avoid complications in mail delivery that would likely arise as a result of the Thanksgiving holiday on Oct. 12. The agency also addressed concerns Thursday from some Albertans who have already received their mail-in ballots and found a form requiring them to declare they were unable to vote in person or risk steep fines or even jail time. Stoesz said the declaration isn’t necessary and was a requirement under previous provincial rules that limited mail-in ballots to be for only those who were physically unable to vote in person. Albertans no longer need a reason to vote by mail, and Stoesz said those who are doing so for the referendum can simply cross that section out and their votes will be counted. She said the form has been removed from packages now going out the door. The mix-up led to criticism from the Opposition NDP on Thursday. NDP house leader Christina Gray said additional confusion was the last thing Albertans need for such an important vote and she called on Elections Alberta to re-send ballots without the form. “To be clear, this is entirely (Premier) Danielle Smith’s fault,” Gray said. “She is responsible for calling this unneeded, unasked-for referendum that has caused damage in our province and so much confusion.” Gray said she was glad to hear that voter turnout could be so high, and added that she knows the majority of Albertans don’t want to separate. “Having that strongly communicated through the vote is so important,” she said. The 10 questions on the ballot largely cover immigration and constitutional reform, but public and political focus is on the final one on separation. That question asks Albertans whether they want to stay in Canada or to have a second, binding referendum on quitting Confederation. The agency said that because provincial law requires all ballots be counted by hand, unofficial results for the separation question won’t be available until after midnight. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2026. Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
